killing 5 soldiers

Fort Hood was closing roads at time truck overturned, killing 5 soldiers

Fort Hood commanders were closing some roads on the Army base in Texas at the time floodwaters overturned a truck on a training mission, killing at least five soldiers and leaving four more missing, Christopher Haug, spokesman for the post, said Friday.

But Haug said the troops learning to operate the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle were not sent out in conditions too dangerous for training.
"It was a situation where the rain had come and the water was rising quickly," he said. "They regularly pass through these weather conditions like this. This was a tactical vehicle, and at the time they were in proper place. Just an unfortunate accident that occurred quickly."

The Army -- with help from civilian agencies -- is using ground, air and dog teams in the search for the missing soldiers, who were swept away by the rising waters of Owl Creek.
"There is a very large effort to try and find them," Haug said. "This is a remote area. It's difficult to see; as you know weather conditions are not helping us out right now."
Owl Creek regularly experiences flash floods, said Michael Harmon, emergency management coordinator for Bell County, Texas.
Twelve soldiers were on the training mission before floodwaters overturned their vehicle after it became stuck in the flooded creek on a road in a remote section of the base, Maj. Gen. John Uberti said Friday. Soldiers in a following vehicle rescued three of their comrades, he said.
The three soldiers are in stable condition in a hospital and are to be released soon, Uberti said.

He thanked the surrounding communities for their outpouring of prayers and emotional support.
"They will be needed in the tough days ahead," he said at a news conference.
Rescuers recovered some of the soldiers' bodies from the water downstream from the vehicle.
Uberti declined to take questions about the incident. Haug also declined to go into detail about the training mission except to describe it as "routine."
Retired Col. Robert Morgan, however, told CNN affiliate KXXV-TV that the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle may not operate well in high waters. The truck, which is used to transport troops and cargo, sits from 6 to 8 feet off the ground.
Severe storms have pummeled Texas, leading to a record rainfall total in May. Gov. Greg Abbott has declared a state of disaster across 31 counties as more rain is expected.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers warned that saturated ground and swollen creeks, bayous and rivers cannot absorb the downpour.


source: CNN