PAYSON, Ariz. — At least nine people were found dead and about a dozen more were missing after flash flooding struck a popular swimming area inside the Tonto National Forest in central Arizona.

Fire Chief Ron Sattelmaier said more than a hundred people were in the Cold Springs swimming hole Saturday afternoon when a severe thunderstorm struck a nearby remote area that had been burned by a recent wildfire.

Three bodies were recovered Saturday and another was found Sunday morning. The deaths include at least one child. Four people rescued by helicopter Saturday were taken to the hospital for hypothermia. About a dozen other people remain unaccounted for.

The thunderstorm hit about 8 miles upstream along Ellison Creek, which quickly flooded the narrow canyon where the swimmers were enjoying a cool dip a on a hot summer day.

In Illinois, the Des Plaines river at Gurnee crested at a record 12.2 feet on Saturday night.

Heavy rainfall that hit the Midwest on Wednesday knocked out power to thousands and closed roadways in Illinois.

Officials have said that some 6,800 structures — including homes, businesses and other buildings— have been affected by the flooding. The damage was expected to worsen as water flowed down rivers into the state from Wisconsin.

Associated Press