The Fulton County Sheriff's Department has confirmed that two children died when flood waters swept an SUV off the road Tuesday morning.

Megihann Leininger, 29, of Fulton County was driving her 5 children in a 2006 Chevy Tahoe. She told Kosciusko County deputies that she started driving into the water that covered the road but then realized it was too deep. The Tahoe stalled and floated into deeper water off the side of the road.

Leininger was able to get three of her children out of the SUV and on to the roof: 4-year-old Mariah Leininger, 1-year-old Michael McDaniel, and 3-month-old Canari Trigg. She could not get her other two children out of the SUV: 5-year-old Shay Leininger and 2-year-old Ashley Pruitt.

Kosciusko dispatchers were initially notified at 8:53 a.m. Tuesday of an SUV that became submerged in water near the intersection of county roads 600 North and 400 East, in Fulton County near the Kosciusko County line.

Even though the accident took place in Fulton County, the location of the cell phone tower threw the call to Kosciusko County, Kosciusko County police said Tuesday afternoon.

A Mentone officer was the first to arrive at the scene, scanner traffic noted. Mentone Fire Chief Mike Yazel confirms that when firefighters arrived a woman and three children were on the roof that was submerged in water. Only the roof rack of the SUV was showing, and Yazel estimates it was submerged in 7 feet of water.

Yazel told WSBT News the SUV was in swift current water and they had to wait for a font-end loader, which they used to lift the mother and her three children off the roof of the car. A boat from Rochester was also used in the rescue.

Yazel indicated one of the two children was conscious when they were removed from the vehicle. Shay Leininger was transported to Lutheran Hospital in Ft. Wayne, and was pronounced dead a short time later. Ashley Pruitt was pronounced dead at Kosciusko Community Hospital.

Megihann Leininger and her other three children were treated and released from Kosciusko Community Hospital.

Tribune staff writer Anita Munson contributed to this story.