Searchers in Iowa recover body of teenage girl swept away by floodwaters east of Des Moines

Searchers find teen’s body in flooded Iowa creek

DES MOINES, Iowa — Searchers in Iowa have recovered the body of a teenage girl who died when raging floodwaters swept three cars off a road near Des Moines.

Polk County Deputy Keith Onley says divers recovered the body at 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, about 10 hours after the cars were washed off the road between Altoona and Mitchellville.

Onley says the girl’s body was found in a creek near the submerged cars. He declined to identify her.

Emergency crews were able to rescue 10 of the 11 people who had been in the cars when they were swept off the road about 4 a.m. They found them clinging to trees and hanging onto logs. Four were taken to the hospital.

Officials have said the fast-flowing waters hampered efforts to find the girl who died.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials in Ames have closed the city’s water supply after a water main broke beneath a flooded creek.

The shut down leaves most of the city’s 55,000 residents without drinking water.

City officials say crews shut down the Ames Water Plant at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday after the water main broke beneath Squaw Creek. The break drained a city water tower, dropping pressure in the distribution system and raising the possibility the system’s water could become contaminated.

Officials say water may still be accessible to some homes and businesses but should be boiled before it’s consumed.

Repairs could take up to 24 hours, and the boil order could continue for longer.

Iowa has been hit with widespread flooding after three nights of storms.