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UPDATE: 2 women identified after found in washes

Posted at 10:23 AM, Jul 01, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-02 17:03:31-04

A body was found Friday morning in a wash near the Las Vegas Strip.

The discovery of the body was reported at 6:58 a.m. It was found near Mandalay Bay Road and Giles Street.

Medical personnel were able to confirm that the person, a woman, was deceased. She was identified as 55-year-old Sharon Nomura. She died of drowning.

A spokesperson for the Clark County Department of Public Works Department says that the woman was living in the wash with a male companion and her death was most likely weather-related, which was later confirmed by the coroner.

The Regional Flood Control District also issued a statement saying "This death is a tragic reminder why floods are nature's number one killer."

According to the Nevada Homeless Alliance, 64 people were living in the valley's flood control system at the time of the 2016 census. Advocates for the homeless and law enforcement conduct regular outreach to those individuals, attempting to provide services or get them to move their encampments outside of the channels.

The district says that water in Pittman Wash rose from 2.5 feet to 5 feet on Thursday in 15 minutes. Duck Creek at Broadbent is 80 feet wide and on Thursday it went from having no water to being 1.5 feet deep in less than minutes. It then rose to 3 feet in 10 minutes.

The Clark County Fire Department rescued 8 people from flood channels on Thursday, including 2 girls who were trapped in Las Vegas Wash. They also rescued 3 dogs and 1 cat.

Another woman died in the wash near National Golf Course Thursday. She was identified as 29-year-old Stephanie White.

A total of 32 people have died in flood-related incidents in Clark County since 1960.