9 children, adult die in Alabama crash amid storm

Ten people, nine of whom were children, died in a 15-vehicle crash in Alabama on Saturday, increasing the state’s death toll from Tropical Storm Claudette to 12.

The crash, likely caused by hydroplaning, occurred on Interstate 65 about 35 miles south of Montgomery,  The Associated Press reported.

It involved a van from a youth ranch carrying eight girls aged 4 to 17, Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock said. The youth ranch is operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association and is meant for abused or neglected children.

“This is the worst tragedy I’ve been a part of in my life,” Michael Smith, CEO of the youth ranch, told the AP.

“Words cannot explain what I saw,” Smith said, having visited the site of the accident. “We love these girls like they’re our own children.”

A man and a 9-month-old baby died in a separate crash in the multivehicle pileup, the AP reported.

According to Garlock, the area where the multivehicle crash occurred is “notorious” for hydroplaning.

“Butler County has had one of the most terrible traffic accidents,” county Sheriff Danny Bond wrote on social media. “I believe is the worst ever in our county.”

In a separate incident near Tuscaloosa, a 24-year-old man and his 3-year-old son died when a tree fell on their house. 

Tropical Storm Claudette has drenched much of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, with as much as 12 inches of rain reported in some parts of the region. Flash flood watches and tropical storm warnings have been issued in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama and Florida.