By AP via
NBC News
Three bodies were found inside a submerged vehicle in Alabama on Thursday after flood levels receded following torrential rains earlier this week, authorities said.
Divers and other Tuscaloosa Police Department officers
discovered the sport utility vehicle submerged in water in the community of Holt
, a rural area a few miles east of Tuscaloosa, police said in a statement.
Investigators initially believed there was only one person inside the vehicle, but two more bodies were found during the search.
Officers work the scene where three bodies were found in east Tuscaloosa.Tuscaloosa Police Department via AP
"The car also contained a large amount of debris, mud and water," said Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Violent Crimes Unit.
The victims included a 72-year-old man and two women, ages 42 and 58, according to police.
Authorities did not release their names but said there was no indication of a crime.
"At this time this appears to be the result of a traffic accident in which the vehicle encountered flood waters, or ran off the roadway, and then sank into the deeper drainage area," Kennedy said. .
[Oklahoma residents experienced moments of horror as several tornadoes passed]
Photos released by police show a diver taking photos while standing in the mud by a curve in a road blocked by barriers.
More than 60 tornadoes leave destruction in their path through the southern United States
March 24, 202200:29
The National Weather Service said more than 3 inches (5 centimeters) of rain fell in the area late Tuesday and Wednesday, causing flash flooding that blocked multiple highways.
[Young Latino recounts how a tornado flipped his truck several times while he was driving]
The storm that hit central Alabama was part of a system that killed two in Texas and Louisiana, and a tornado with winds estimated at 160 miles per hour impacted the New Orleans area Tuesday night.