Four rescuers vanished in the Hurricane Harvey flooding shortly after one of them, Ben Vizueth, streamed a video of their rescue efforts on Facebook Live.
You can watch the video below. It’s been viewed by thousands of people. Vizueth, who is from Houston but lived in Cloverleaf, Texas, streamed the video to his Facebook page at 3:07 p.m. August 28.
According to The Houston Chronicle, there were seven men in the boat, and they were valiantly assisting in rescue efforts in the Houston floods. “Four men are reportedly missing and three others recovering from electrocution after a swollen bayou swept away their small boat in northeast Houston,” the Chronicle reported.
The wife of one of the men, Perla Jaquez, wrote on Facebook, “Family and friends my husband has been on the wallisville and Normandy area helping people get out of the houses…& now we can’t locate him or his brothers …if you have heard anything happened on that area please let me know…we are all very concerned…and is getting dark.”
Families of the men posted their photos to Facebook in a desperate effort to help find them.
According to the Chronicle, family members said “the men’s boat ran into Greens Bayou’s swift water near Wallisville Road and Normandy Street. The boat drifted toward a utility pole, relatives reportedly said, and all the men jumped out of the boat.”
KTRK-TV reported, “Four men who volunteered to rescue Hurricane Harvey flood victims have not been seen since Monday shortly after 3 p.m., when they jumped into the water to avoid electrocution.”
According to the television station, the men first rescued a family member and then were working to rescue strangers. “All of the missing men are from Houston’s northeast side. They were familiar with the area and all know how to swim,” reported the television station.
Three men were discovered hanging from trees with electrocution burns but were alive, the Chronicle newspaper reported, identifying the men still missing as Benjamin Vizueth, 31; Yahir Vizueth, 25; George Lopez, 31; and Gustavo Rodriguez Hernandez, 40.