The body of a 10-year-old girl who was cleaned by a surge in floods in Brenham, Texas, has been found as severe weather continues to threaten southeastern Texas and the Gulf Coast.
City spokesperson Melinda Gordon said the sisters were encountering a rapid rise from the stream around 4pm.
Authorities are unclear whether Deva slipped and fell, or was drawn into the present, but her sister ran for help.
Gordon said that after witnessing the incident, a Brenham police officer attempted to rescue Deva, but was unable to reach her with swift water.
The man managed to grab his backpack, but she was taken away. Both the man and the officer were handled by the emergency services and released.
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The rescue efforts began quickly, and the team searched overnight. The Brenham Fire Department has deployed a drone equipped with thermal imaging and search dogs in the hopes of finding the missing girl.
Earlier on Tuesday, four Swift Water Rescue teams resumed their search. Stephen Ailatchu said at about 10:45am, the Texas Department of Public Safety diving team was on Deva’s body, 1.2 miles from where she last saw it.
“We took care of her as much as we could. Our hearts come out in (her) family. That’s difficult,” Ailat said at a press conference. Deva’s mother attended the press conference but did not speak.
The tragedy is shaking the Brenham community, with a population of around 19,000 and about 70 miles northwest of Houston.
Mayor Atwood Kenjra described the city as “a very special community, a very close Christian community.”
He said, “The reaction from whom was overwhelming. I don’t like the outcome that happened.”
Brenham Elementary School provides support services to students and staff.
The area is still recovering from last week’s storm, causing widespread flooding and travel disruptions in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas, according to the National Weather Service.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
