3 dead, 3 injured, 6 missing after flood sweeps Army truck

HOUSTON (AP) — Three soldiers were killed and six were missing after an Army truck was washed from a low-water crossing and overturned today in a rain-swollen creek at Fort Hood, the Texas Army post said.

The accident happened about 11:30 a.m. in an area near Cold Springs and Owl Creek, Fort Hood said in a statement.

Three soldiers were rescued from the swift water and were in stable condition late this afternoon at Coryell Memorial Healthcare System in Gatesville.

Army aircraft, canine search teams, swift-water rescue watercraft and heavy trucks were being used in the search for the six missing soldiers. The Army did not release the names of the dead because it was still notifying relatives.

Fort Hood spokesman John Miller said the low-water crossing of the creek was flooded by two days of intermittent heavy rains when the swift water swept the truck, called a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle, from the road.

Parts of Texas have been inundated with rain in the last week. More storms were on the way that could dump up to 10 inches of rain from today through Saturday and worsen flooding caused by rivers and other waterways that already have risen to record levels.

About half of Texas is under flood watches or warnings, including Fort Bend County, southwest of Houston, where about 1,400 homes have been affected by the Brazos River, swollen by heavy rainfall from last week.