Searchers Find 20th Arkansas Flood Victim
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}June 12: Officer Les Munn, of Texarkana, Ark., stands at the front of a boat as officials search near the edge of the Little Missouri River near Langley, Ark.
LANGLEY, Ark. -- State police say the 20th victim of a flash flood that swept through a popular Arkansas campground was a young girl. But authorities don't yet know if she is the last person they were looking for.
Capt. Mike Fletcher says crews found the girl's body Monday morning.
Officials had said earlier that they still were looking for a young girl missing from the campground at the Albert Pike Recreation Area. But Fletcher says searchers aren't positive if the girl whose body they found was the same one reported missing by her family.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fletcher says police will wait to announce the girl's name until her identity is confirmed by dental records or DNA.
State police spokesman Bill Sadler says searchers will decide Monday night whether to continue the search Tuesday.
Dozens of people were feared missing after the pre-dawn Friday flood, but authorities on Sunday narrowed their search to just one person known to have been camping at the Albert Pike Recreation Area. They said they believe many others first feared missing were camping in other parts of the state, without cell phone coverage.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A heavy storm sent a wall of water rushing down the river while most campers were sleeping, leaving them scrambling in the dark for safety amid the area's steep terrain.
Eighteen of the 20 victims have been publicly identified, among them seven children age 7 or younger. Eight of the 18 were from Louisiana, seven were from Texas and three were from Arkansas.
Floodwaters rose up to 8 feet per hour, pouring through the remote valley with such force that they peeled asphalt from roads. Cabins along the river banks were severely damaged, and mobile homes were tossed on their sides.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Forecasters had warned of the approaching danger in the area during the night, but campers could easily have missed the advisories because the area is isolated and cell phone service is poor.