The body of a woman who was swept away in flash floods in La Grange Wednesday has been recovered by police and rescue personnel. The name has not been released by police at present.
A man and a woman attempted to drive through flowing water where the upper reaches of Frederiksted Gut cross La Grange Road when there vehicle stalled, Police Public Information Officer Melody Rames said Thursday morning. They left the car, but apparently the woman returned to the car for some reason, possibly to retrieve an item. The man managed to grab hold of a tree and escape, but the woman was swept away from the vehicle.
Police and St. Croix Rescue searched until dark Wednesday, resuming the search at 6 a.m. Thursday, according to Rames.
“The body was found in the field downstream about 800 to 1,000 feet from the road, “ she said.
With muddy water still flowing across damaged roads, police are asking residents to stay off the roads until the water stops.
“When you cross roads with water flowing over them, in some places there are deep holes hidden by the water where if you catch a wheel, there is a great likelihood you will get stuck,” she said.
“We rescued people from their vehicles with jet skis on the Melvin Evans Highway yesterday,” she said. “So the situation is very bad in places.”