Tropical Storm Claudette blamed for 10 deaths in accident in Alabama

Victims include 8 children in single van and another girl in an SUV

By Andy Roesgen

CHICAGO, US (AA) - A multi-car collision on a tropical storm-soaked interstate in the US state of Alabama left 10 people dead Saturday, including eight children in a single van and another girl in an SUV.

Sheriff Danny Bond of Butler County told AL.com that two vans containing foster children, apparently all girls, were heading home to the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch after an outing to the Alabama shore of the Gulf of Mexico. The ranch serves girls who are abused or neglected.

The first van collided with an SUV, and a father and his infant daughter in that vehicle also died.

Sheriff Bond said it was "probably the most horrific accident in Butler County history." The collision was part of a chain-reaction, multi-car collision involving 18 vehicles.

Authorities say the victims in the first van ranged in age from 4 to 17. Butler County's coroner told AL.com that the driver of the van, a woman who helped run the Tallapoosa facility, survived the crash and is in the hospital recovering. The coroner also said that witnesses managed to pull the driver out but were unable to get to the children in the van because it had burst into flames.

The second van of girls was not involved in the collision, and those girls did not witness the collision, according to authorities.

Among the other people involved in the multi-car crash, there were injuries but no other deaths.

The region has been soaked by Tropical Storm Claudette, which dumped about 12 inches of rain and caused flash flooding in the US Southeast. Reports from Alabama say that particular stretch of Interstate 65, where the accident happened, has a notorious reputation for causing cars to hydroplane in the rain, or slide uncontrollably on the wet surface of the road.

The Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch put out a statement on social media asking for prayers "as we navigate this difficult time."

"Our hearts our heavy," the statement added. "Our ranch has suffered a great loss."

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