8 Dead, 5 Missing in Utah Flash Flood That ‘Hit With a Vengeance'

Flash flooding triggered by strong thunderstorms ripped through southern Utah, killing at least eight people Monday, authorities said. Five others remained missing on Tuesday, NBC News reported.

"This hit with a vengeance we haven't seen for some time," said Kevin Barlow, the assistant fire chief in Hildale, a town on the Utah-Arizona border. Several children and mothers were among the dead or missing, he added.

Floodwaters washed away two vehicles carrying a total of 16 people in the small town of Hildale, on the Utah-Arizona border, Barlow said.

The floods came after heavy rains fell in the canyons just north of Hildale and its sister town of Colorado City, Arizona, sending waves of water barreling through the streets.

Hildale served as a home base for polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs.

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