Members of the Tuscaloosa Police Department's violent crime unit found three bodies in a submerged SUV Thursday.
The vehicle was discovered near Main Street Northeast and Short 19th Street Northeast at approximately 8 a.m.
According to the Tuscaloosa Police Department’s Facebook page, the vehicle was submerged in floodwaters from the storms that hit that part of the state on Tuesday night.
Divers and other officers from the Tuscaloosa Police Department discovered the sport-utility vehicle in water in the Holt community, a rural area a few miles east of Tuscaloosa, police said in a statement.
Captain Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit told Tuscaloosa News that it took some time to pull the vehicle out of the water, and it was filled with significant debris.
The victims included a 72-year-old man and two women, ages 42 and 58, police said. Authorities didn't release their names but said there wasn't any indication of a crime.
The National Weather Service said more than 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain fell in the area late Tuesday and Wednesday, causing flash flooding that blocked multiple roads.
The deluge that swamped central Alabama was part of an outbreak that left two people dead in Texas and Louisiana, where an EF-3 tornado with winds estimated at 160 mph slammed into the New Orleans metro area Tuesday night.
This is a developing story. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email will.blakely@1819News.com.
