Ongoing heavy rains across the US north-east on Friday are blamed for at least eight death and forced the evacuation of more than 140,000 people, dpa reported. In the Washington DC area, three people were killed by the torrential rains and one was missing, The Washington Post reported Friday. The dead included a 12-year-old boy in Vienna, Virginia, who was playing outside with friends in his backyard when he was swept away by floodwaters. Schools, government buildings and roadways were closed Friday in some jurisdictions in Virginia, across the Potomac from the nation's capital. An estimated 30 cm of rain have fallen in the region since Monday. Another five deaths occurred earlier in the week across the soggy north-east, according to ABC news. Pennsylvania was particularly hard hit as the Susquehanna River early Friday reached 11.83 metres in Wilkes-Barre, nearly twice as high as the flood stage of 6.7 metres, according to ABC news broadcaster.
