Today is a terrible day. We’ve already had one Blue Angels F/A-18 fighter jet pilot die in a crash today.
I’m not sure what’s going on, but right now 3 soldiers are dead and 6 more are missing from an overturned military vehicle at a low-water crossing:
KXAN – The bodies of three soldiers were recovered in water downstream from their vehicle on Fort Hood, Thursday. Six other soldiers remain missing.
Emergency officials continue to conduct rescue operations for an overturned Light Medium Tactical Vehicle at the Owl Creek Tactical low-water crossing and East Range Road.
The search is ongoing for the six soldiers missing from the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, a statement from Fort Hood said.
Three soldiers were rescued from the water earlier near the vehicle and are in stable condition.
Sad news from #FHTX; flooding claims lives of soldiers with search on for others
— JohnCornyn (@JohnCornyn) June 2, 2016
I’ll update as I have more.
UPDATE: The military vehicle looked like this, according to KXAN:
UPDATE 2: 5 soldiers have now been found dead:
The bodies of five soldiers were recovered in water downstream from their vehicle on Fort Hood, Thursday. Three were found Thursday afternoon and two more were found Thursday night.
Four other soldiers remain missing. The soldiers were swept downstream when their Light Medium Tactical Vehicle overturned at the Owl Creek Tactical low-water crossing and East Range Road.
Three soldiers were rescued from the water earlier near the vehicle and are in stable condition.
They were taking part in routine training activities when they were swept from the road around 11:30 a.m. in the northeast corner of the military installation. The area where the incident happened has been described as a heavily-wooded, hilly area on rugged terrain.
“Texas stands ready to provide any assistance to Fort Hood as they deal with this tragedy,” Gov. Abbott said. “The brave men and women stationed at Fort Hood and across our country put their lives on the line every day, and be it through rescue operations or on the battlefield, Texas will forever remain grateful for their sacrifices.”
In a message from Maj. Gen. John C. Thomson III, 1st Cavalry Division Commanding General, he said:
“The 1st Cavalry Division is grieving after a training accident at Fort Hood during flash flooding this morning. We are deeply saddened by the loss of several Troopers and continue search operations. Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated during this difficult time as we care for the families, loved ones, and fellow Soldiers of those impacted by this tragedy. God Bless the First Team.”