A Houston family’s worst fears were confirmed Wednesday when a van swept away by Hurricane Harvey floodwaters — carrying an elderly couple and four great-grandchildren — was apparently found submerged in a bayou.
“We could briefly look into the van and see at least two bodies that are in there,” said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Police divers were on their way to the Greens Bayou, and the medical examiner was on the scene, waiting to confirm the victims’ identities. Chaplains were en route to comfort relatives gathered on a nearby bridge.
“They’re very saddened, obviously,” Gonzalez said. “They’ve been very traumatized.”
The grim discovery ended three days of anguished waiting for the Saldivar family, who had given up hope the missing six would be found alive but who were desperate to recover the bodies.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
The tragedy happened Sunday afternoon as Sammy Saldivar was trying to drive flooded-out relatives to dry ground.
In the van with him were his parents, 84-year-old Manuel and 81-year-old Belia, both Alzheimer’s patients, and the great-grandchildren, who ranged in age from 16 to 8.
Relatives told NBC News that Sadivar had just crossed a bridge over the swollen bayou when the road dipped down and the vehicle was swept into the water, which was moving at five knots.
Saldivar managed to wriggle out of his seat belt and escape the sinking van through a half-open window, he told family members. He grabbed onto a tree branch and urged the others to try to escape.
“He could hear the kids screaming and crying, trying to get out of the van,” his brother, Ricardo Saldivar, told NBC News on Tuesday.
“He said, ‘Climb to the top, go out the back door,'” he said. “But [with] the van pointed straight down, they couldn’t climb up the van, much less open the door.
“He just seen the van go under the water.”
Deputies found Sammy Saldivar still clinging to the tree limb almost an hour later and threw a rope to him. By then, the van was at least four feet under water and no one else could be saved, police said.
“It was a miracle the one driver was rescued,” Gonzalez said.
The sheriff said the water was too high Monday and Tuesday to find the van, but it was spotted after the flood receded on Wednesday. The van was still partially submerged in muddy water but police were hopeful it could be removed within hours.