At least 12 people were killed in a storm in the US state of Alabama last weekend. US media reports that nine children and one adult were killed in a bus accident, probably as a result of heavy rain and aquaplaning. Two people were also killed when a tree fell on a house.
Since Saturday, ‘Storm Claudette’ has caused flooding and gusts of wind, causing a number of southwestern states to dozens of houses were destroyed. Thirty centimeters of rain was measured in some places. But the wind speeds of the low-pressure area are too low to speak of a storm according to Dutch standards.
Van with children
The fatal accident involving the van full of children happened just south of Montgomery, the capital of Alabama. According to the AP news agency, at least four vehicles were likely involved. Local authorities are looking for the cause of the aquaplaning accident due to the severe weather.
The bus collided with an SUV and then caught fire. Eight passengers, ages 4 to 17, did not survive the accident. The manager was rescued alive from the burning bus by bystanders. She is in hospital and her condition is stable.
‘Worst tragedy’
In the SUV were a 29-year-old man with his 9-month-old daughter, who were also both killed. Several people involved in the accident were injured.
According to American media, the bus with children belonged to a youth ranch for abused and neglected children. “This is the worst tragedy of my life,” says the director of the ranch against AP news agency.
westward
In the city of Tuscaloosa, the deadly accident happened with the fallen tree. A 24-year-old man with a 3-year-old son were killed when the uprooted tree hit their home.
Claudette currently has wind speeds of almost 50 kilometers per hour. But the low pressure area is expected to increase in strength this night. It then heads west across the state of North Carolina toward the Atlantic Ocean.
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