Fort Hood authorities had been in the midst of closing roads around the Army post Thursday when a 2 ½-ton truck carrying 12 soldiers overturned in flood waters.
Nine people were killed, while three survived, officials said Friday.
Fort Hood spokesman Chris Haug said in a press conference earlier in the day that the dozen soldiers had been getting trained how to navigate the truck in flood waters.
“It was a situation where the rain had come, the water was rising quickly and we were in the process, at the moment of the event, of closing the roads,” Haug said.
The group had been driving through a part of a 20-mile-long creek that had stretched from 40 feet wide to more than 500 feet wide due to the severe flooding.
“This was a tactical vehicle and at the time they were in a proper place for what they were training,” Haug said. “It’s just an unfortunate accident that occurred quickly.”
The 12 soldiers were members of the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Local and state first responders were deployed Thursday to locate and rescue any survivors. Aircraft, canine search teams, heavy-ground equipment, swift water rescue watercraft and search personnel were used, WFAA reported.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday declared a state of disaster in 31 counties because of the recent widespread flooding in the state.
