Teenager dies in floodwaters as more heavy rains pounds Oklahoma; third child killed in 1 week

Teenager drowns in Oklahoma floodwaters

OKLAHOMA CITY — Officials say a teenager was swept to her death in Oklahoma when heavy rain fueled by persistent tropical moisture pounded parts of the state.

Cherokee Ballard, a spokeswoman for the state Medical Examiner’s office, says the girl was playing with friends around a drainage ditch Thursday near Durant in Bryan County when water 3 to 4 feet deep carried her off. Durant is about 145 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.

Ballard says the girl’s friends got out and tried unsuccessfully to help her.

Ballard didn’t have the girl’s exact age or name.

She was the third child killed in flooding in less than a week in Oklahoma. Another teen died when he was swept into a south Oklahoma City creek, and an 8-year-old boy was killed in Pottawatomie County.