Two bodies were recovered from a river in New Jersey this week as authorities continue their search for three people who were swept away last week during floods caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
An unidentified body was recovered Wednesday evening in the Passaic River near Kearny, just north of Newark, and another was found Thursday near where the river passes through downtown Newark, NBC New York reported.
The discovery of the body Thursday caused miles-long traffic backups in Newark, and the mayor of nearby Passaic, Hector Lora, was spotted at the scene, the station reported.
Two of the three missing people — Seton Hall University students Nidhi Rana, 18, and Ayush Rana, 21 — are residents of Passaic, NBC New York reported. Their car was swept away toward a drain leading to the river during the Ida flooding.
The third missing person, Donna Lamagro, 56, was swept away during a failed rescue attempt, NBC New York reported.
Medical examiners, prosecutors and local officials stressed Thursday that no details would be released about the identities of the bodies until forensic examinations are completed. Authorities have not said whether the two bodies found this week are those of any of the three people who vanished during the storm.
Ida tore across the country last week after it made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 29. It contributed to at least 67 deaths across eight states.
Even though Ida was a tropical depression by the time it arrived in New Jersey, its extreme rainfall caused deadly flooding. Fast-moving flash floods swamped people on roadways and in low-lying areas and led to the deaths of 27 people, according to an NBC News tally.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
