Arizona

Flash Flood Kills 9, Mostly Kids, at Arizona Swimming Hole; Man Missing

The flash-flooding hit Saturday afternoon at Cold Springs canyon, about 100 miles northeast of Phoenix, a popular recreation area easily reached by relatively easy hiking paths

A flash flood swept through a swimming hole in an Arizona national park Saturday, leaving nine people dead, including six children as young as 2, NBC News reported.

Four were rescued but officials were still searching for a missing 27-year-old man Sunday night, according to the Gila County Sherrif's Department.

A group of 14 people were caught in the flood at the swimming hole at Cold Springs in Tonto National Forest Saturday afternoon, north of Phoenix, sheriff's officials said. "It's a tragedy," sheriff's Detective Sgt. David Hornung said.

When nearly an inch of rain fell, it likely gathered a large amount of debris left by a series of recent forest fires down the creek that burst into the swimming hole, according to the fire department and weather station in nearby Payson. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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