November 30, 2019 | 1:36am | Updated November 30, 2019 | 1:37am
Three children were missing Friday after being swept away in floodwaters that struck roadways after heavy rains in central Arizona, police said.
The kids were passengers in a car that was crossing Tonto Creek, near the border of New Mexico, soon after 4 p.m. when the car got stuck in the floodwaters, Gila County Sheriff said in a Facebook post.
A man and four children were able to get to safety on an island in the creek and were rescued by first responders, the police department said. Another adult woman was rescued on the shore nearby.
The three missing children were lost in the waters and had not been recovered, they added.
“The search operation continues for a reported three additional missing children,” they wrote in the Facebook post.
Crews in helicopters were searching for the missing children Friday night, CNN reported.
The missing children were riding in a car with the two adults and four rescued kids, but it’s unclear how they are all related, according to the report.