WRIGHT COUNTY, Mo. (KOLR) – A married pair of poll workers drowned during flash flooding while headed to an election site in Missouri early Tuesday, authorities said.
The incident happened around 4:30 a.m. in Wright County when floodwaters from Beaver Creek swept away three vehicles, the Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed.
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The married couple, a 70-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman from Manes, tried to swim to dry land but did not survive. They were found dead at about 8:45 a.m.
A drone located the couple, according to officials. The other individuals whose vehicles were swept away managed to swim to safety.
The Wright County Clerk’s Office described the poll workers as “dedicated citizens who valued fair and honest elections” and said they will be missed.
“This is a terrible loss for Wright County,” Loni Pedersen, the county clerk, said in a statement. “This couple were wonderful people who donated their time to serve their community. We will miss them dearly and the service they provided to my office.”
The clerk’s office said it’s not releasing the couple’s name out of respect for their family’s privacy.
Flash flooding caused by torrential rain in Missouri has killed at least three other people this week. Two of those deaths were reported in St. Louis County after a submerged SUV was spotted near flooded Gravois Creek, near Interstate 55, Tuesday morning.
On Monday, Missouri state troopers also recovered a 66-year-old man’s body after a car was swept off a bridge in Ironton, about 90 miles south of St. Louis.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
