Two Missouri election workers drowned Tuesday morning in Wright County when rising waters of Beaver Creek swept their car off the road.
The deceased, a 70-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman, were residents of Mountain Grove in southeastern Missouri, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The couple was in one of three cars that were swept off State Route H in a flash flood near Beaver Creek around 4:30 a.m.
A total of five people were in the three vehicles that were swept away in the floodwaters near Manes, according to the MSHP. The three passengers in the other two cars were able to escape from their vehicles and swim to shore.
The elderly couple was found deceased in their car around 8:45 a.m. following rescue efforts by MSHP Troop G and the Missouri Department of Conservation. A Wright County coroner declared the couple dead just before 7 a.m., even though they still had not been found.
The Wright County Clerk’s office confirmed they were two poll workers from Wright County who were on their way to open the polls when they were caught in the flood.
“This situation is unfortunately common at Troop G and MO,” Troop G officers wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday morning.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol declined to provide an update Tuesday afternoon on the ongoing investigation into the drownings. The two deceased poll workers, who have not been publicly identified, were transported to a funeral home in Mountain Grove early Tuesday.
After days of heavy rain earlier this week, MSHP officers issued warnings on Nov. 4 advising residents to avoid flood risks by staying away from water-covered roads in Wright County.
