Boy, pregnant mom found dead in car amid Pennsylvania flood

BOYERTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Severe weather has caused widespread damage across Pennsylvania and claimed the lives of a pregnant woman and her 9-year-old son whose car was swept away by floodwaters.

Douglass Township Police Chief John Dzurek says the car was swept down the Manatawny Creek for about a half-mile (kilometer) on Thursday, while the woman was on the phone with emergency officials. The call dropped, and emergency workers found the car nearly five hours later.

Dzurek identified the victims as 31-year-old Pamela Snyder, who was eight months pregnant, and her son, Preston Dray. He says initial attempts to get to Snyder's car were unsuccessful because police vehicles began floating in the current.

Thursday's storms caused flash flooding in many areas and knocked down trees and power lines in other areas, causing travel problems and scattered power outages.

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This story has been corrected to show that the boy killed was 9, not 8.