Oklahoma Severe Weather Death Toll Rises to 6

June 4, 2015

The death toll from severe weather, flooding and tornadoes in Oklahoma since the Memorial Day weekend has risen to six with the drowning death of a 42-year-old man.

The Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission says firefighters from Siloam Springs, Ark., recovered the body of Gary Thomas on June 1. Thomas was reported missing on Sunday after he disappeared along a low-water dam at a bridge across rain-swollen Flint Creek in Delaware County in eastern Oklahoma.

The commission says Thomas and his wife were attempting to walk across the top of the dam when they lost their footing and fell into the water.

Officials say Thomas was able to push his wife to safety, but he did not make it out of the water. His body was recovered below the dam’s main spillway.