Read more in section
World Europe's cold close zoo outside Paris Yesterday at 21:04
World Syria says suicide bombers kill 28 in Aleppo Yesterday at 19:57
World Greek deal uncertainty slams global markets Yesterday at 19:28
World Bus crash in Indonesia kills more than a dozen Yesterday at 18:16
World Europe's cold spell hits Turkey's quake survivors Yesterday at 17:50
World Diplomat: Russia will keep shielding Assad at UN Yesterday at 16:59
World Turkey quake victims struggle in Europe's cold Yesterday at 16:31
World Big freeze kills 13 in Romania, ice blocks Danube Yesterday at 15:25
World Greek police union wants to arrest EU/IMF officials Yesterday at 15:10
Most popular World
Search for Arkansas flooding victims goes from frantic to grim
Jun 13, 2010 at 11:39The last time someone was found alive was late Friday morning, hours after a pre-dawn wall of water surprised sleeping campers at the Albert Pike Recreation Area, leaving them frantically trying to scramble up the steep terrain in the dark.
As the swollen rivers subsided and the hours ticked by Saturday, anguished relatives waiting for word of loved ones grew more and more frustrated, lashing out at reporters, knowing that at some point the search mission would become one of recovery.
"They're just devastated. The time for shock has probably gone and now it's just anxiety building. They're beginning to fear the worst," said Graig Cowart, the pastor of the Pilgrim Rest Landmark Missionary Baptist Church.
At least six of the 18 people confirmed killed were young children, according to a list released by Gov. Mike Beebe's office publicly identifying 15 of them. State police said Saturday evening that there were 22 people missing.
Search crews were called in around 8 p.m. local time Saturday but planned to resume their work around 6:30 a.m. Sunday, police said.
The only Arkansas victim identified was Leslie Jez, a 23-year-old mother and wife from Foreman whose husband, Adam Jez, was listed as among those who survived the flood.
"So ready to go camping this weekend," she wrote on her Facebook page Monday. "Kaden is going to love it!!" She later added, "Not looking foward to that cold water, but sounds like I might change my mind after seeing how hot it's supposed to be."
Authorities haven't said whether the child survived.
About 200 searchers combed some 20 miles (32 kilometers) of wilderness along the receding rivers on Saturday. Crews on kayaks and canoes scanned the thick brush and debris in the swollen Caddo and Little Missouri rivers for bodies, but experts say many of those killed could be trapped under fallen trees and rocks, and that the river water likely won't be clear enough to see through for several days.
Other searchers rode out on horseback to scan the heavily wooded area and rocky crags along the rivers, where debris hung as high as 25 feet up in tree branches. Cell phone service and visibility from the air in the heavily wooded area are very poor, hampering search efforts. Portable cell towers were dispatched to the area in the hope that stranded survivors would be able to call for help.
Beebe said many of those missing are people whose relatives called saying they believed they were camping in the area, but weren't sure. He said officials are running the license plate numbers of vehicles found in the area to try to contact their owners.
Authorities initially feared there were many more people unaccounted for. A register that would have showed who was staying at the campground was washed away in the flood, and a call center fielded inquiries about 73 people who hadn't been accounted for as of Friday night.
Floodwaters rose as swiftly as 8 feet (2 meters) per hour, poring through the remote valley with such force that it peeled asphalt from roads and bark off trees. Cabins dotting the river banks were severely damaged, and mobile homes lay on their sides.
Forecasters had warned of the approaching danger in the area during the night, but campers could easily have missed those advisories because the area is isolated.