Nine people were killed, six of them children, after a vehicle crashed into a canal in Palm Beach County on Monday night, authorities said. One man was seriously hurt.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue officials said crews responded at around 7:30 p.m. after a 2023 Ford Explorer went into a canal at the intersection of Southwest Conners Highway and Hatton Highway, outside of Belle Glade.
According to a release from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the SUV was traveling westbound on Hatton Highway approaching a left curve on the road, when for some reason, the driver "failed to properly negotiate the left curve of the roadway" and drove onto the grass shoulder.
The SUV then hit the guardrail and flipped over "as it came to final rest in the canal."
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PBCFR Captain Tom Reyes told NBC affiliate WPTV that the vehicle landed upside down and first responders found it underwater.
He said dive teams worked quickly to try to rescue the victims.
Four people died at the scene. Six were taken to the hospital, where another five were pronounced dead, authorities said Tuesday. A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy was also hurt.
The deceased were identified Tuesday as:
- Pamela Wiggins, 57
- Michael Anthony Hall Jr., 14
- Imani Andre Ajani Hall, 8
- Leiana Alyse Hall, 30
- Anyia Monique Lee Tucker, 21
- Naleia Tucker, 1
- Kamdien Edwards, 5
- Yasire Smith, 5
- Ziaire Mack, 3
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The survivor is a 26-year-old man, who remains hospitalized with serious injuries.
“This is a very significant scene. This is a very tough call. We do have critical incident stress debriefing teams coming to talk to our firefighters, to work with the Sheriff’s department,” Reyes said. “But I've been with the department for 20 years and this is one of the most difficult scenes I've been on.”
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
