This story was originally published at 10:48 a.m. Eastern time.
Four soldiers remain missing after their Light Medium Tactical Vehicle overturned in flash flood waters on Fort Hood, Texas, and the search that continued throughout the night remains the top priority for emergency responders, officials said Friday.
The deadly accident has already has claimed the lives of five soldiers. Three others were rescued thanks to "quick action" from other soldiers on the scene and are in stable condition at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center on Fort Hood, said Maj. Gen. John Uberti, the deputy commanding general of III Corps, during a brief news press conference Friday morning.
The soldiers belong to 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
The loss of five soldiers is "tragic," Uberti said.
The troops who pulled the three rescued soldiers from the water were in a vehicle following the LMTV, said Chris Haug, a spokesman for Fort Hood, who fielded media questions during the Friday
morning's press
conference. He did not provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
The
three
rescued soldiers remain in stable condition and could be released from the hospital Friday, Uberti said.
"Our priority has been, since the first report of this incident and continues to be, the search for our four missing teammates," Uberti said.
How to help
The Army also is "focused on making sure we’re providing the support and counseling for the families, friends and soldiers as we work through the notification and grieving process," Uberti said.
Local relief agencies are assisting in that effort. The installation "has received an enormous outpouring of donation support from our local and national communities," Col. Todd Fox, commander of Fort Hood Garrison, said in a Friday news release.
Those wishing to donate to relief efforts can do so via the Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation or the Red Cross; information on the local Red Cross chapter is available hereor by calling 254-200-4400.
Training tragedy
Fort Hood emergency personnel responded Thursday morning to a call for a swift-water rescue after the soldiers’ LMTV got stuck at the Owl Creek Tactical low-water crossing and East Range Road, according to information from Fort Hood.
Severe storms have pummeled Texas in recent days, with widespread flooding reported across the state. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster across 31 counties, and heavy rain was falling in some places at a rate of up to 3 inches an hour, according to The Weather Channel.
The 12 soldiers in the LMTV were
re were 12 soldiers in the LMTV
conducting small-unit convoy operations training at the time of the incident, Haug said.
They were conducting small-unit convoy operations training at the time of the incident, he said.
The road the soldiers were traveling on isn’t marked as a low-water crossing, which means it typically isn’t prone to flooding, said Lt. Col. Sunset Belinsky, a spokeswoman for 1st Cavalry Division.
"But because of the unusual amount of rain we’ve received, water did come across the road," she said.
A Travis County Emergency Medical Services, Fire and Rescue helicopter flies over Lake Belton near the scene of an accident at Fort Hood at Owl Creek Park near Gatesville, Texas, on Thursday.
Photo Credit: Michael Miller/Temple Daily Telegram via AP
A Fort Hood official speaking on background said that at the time of the incident, all roads prone to flooding were already closed on post. Around the time the emergency call came in, officials from the Fort Hood Department of Emergency Services were advising leaders to shut down additional roads, the official told Army Times.
Haug confirmed the account, saying Friday that at the time of the incident, "water was rising quickly" and "we were in the process of closing the roads."
Haug said.
As the search continues, Fort Hood, state and local emergency responders are using "all the assets we have," Haug said, including ground and air assets, dog teams and rescuers on the ground.
"It’s a very large effort on a remote area of the range," he said.
Fort Hood officials confirmed three soldiers died in the incident Thursday afternoon. Their bodies were recovered from the water downstream from the vehicle. Two additional soldiers were confirmed dead in the evening hours.
"This is a profound tragedy," said Gen. Robert Abrams, commanding general of
U.S.
Army Forces Command, in a statement. "On behalf of the entire Army Forces Command family, I extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost a loved one Thursday, to those missing and injured, and to their families. Our focus now is on the search and rescue for the missing soldiers, assistance to the surviving soldiers as well as those in their units, and our full support to all their families."
Abrams, who thanked the community and emergency responders for their support, promised a "thorough investigation to better understand the circumstances and how to avoid this as we go forward."
The names of the deceased soldiers have not been released pending notification of their families.
Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.
