2 poll workers drown in floodwaters while on way to election site

WRIGHT COUNTY, Mo. ( KY3 /Gray News) – Two election workers in Missouri drowned Tuesday while on their way to a polling location amid flash flooding.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol , around 4 a.m., multiple cars were swept off State Route H near Beaver Creek in Wright County.

Emergency crews began rescuing people. Two people in one car were able to escape by swimming to safety.

A couple in the other car, a 70-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman from Wright County, were found dead around 8:45 a.m. outside of their vehicle.

According to Wright County Sheriff Sonny Byerly, officials used a drone to find the deceased couple.

According to Sheriff Byerly, the two were on their way to work at a polling location. The Wright County Clerk's Office has confirmed the two were poll workers.

The sheriff also says there were six swift water rescues in the county last night.