Heavy rain in Texas kills 4-year-old girl, floods homes and roadway

Torrential overnight rains caused flooding across North Texas on Monday, killing a 4-year-old girl, flooding homes and prompting authorities to shut down a section of highway.

Photo: Heavy rain in Texas kills 4-year-old girl, floods homes and roadway

Alexandria Collins died after she was swept away in flood waters as firefighters were trying to rescue the girl and her mother at their mobile home in Haltom City, a Fort Worth suburb.

"We were in the boat when the boat capsized," her mother, Natasha Collins, tearfully told Dallas television station KXAS-TV. "The current swept her from my arms."

Authorities searched for the missing girl more than two hours before finding her body.

The floodwaters unleashed by an overnight storm flooded about 100 mobile homes, emergency officials said. At least one mobile home burned, and gas leaks were reported, said Haltom City Deputy Fire Chief Fred Napp.

The pre-dawn flood left confusion as neighbors gathered in children from other families fleeing the flood, he said.

Authorities closed about 10 miles (16 kilometers) of Interstate 35 because of flooding, authorities said.