Six people killed in West Virginia flash flooding, two others missing: Gov. Patrick Morrisey

At least six people have been killed in flash flooding in Wheeling, West Virginia, with two other people missing, Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday.

The governor previously said on Sunday that a 3-year-old child was among those who died amid the flash floods.

"There were roughly 3 to 4 inches of water that fell in the area in less than an hour. That's very, very difficult to deal with," Morrisey said.

Officials continued to urge people to stay off local roads on Monday morning as search-and-rescue efforts resumed.

The worst flooding was this the state's northern and central regions.

Wheeling-Ohio County Emergency Management Agency Director Lou Vargo told FOX Weather that 911 calls for help came in as soon as the rain began Saturday, with some people being forced to cling to trees to not be carried away by the floods.

"We’re also working with family members to see if they just were displaced," Vargo said. "We also have a mass-care center set up for the people that we’ve evacuated from parts of the Valley Grove and Tridelphia area."

Wheeling Creek rose 7 feet in less than two hours, according to the FOX Forecast Center.

While thousands of power outages have been reported, work to restore service cannot start until natural gas leaks reported in the area have been resolved.

"Some of those houses could be in an explosive situation, so turning the power on could cause an explosion," Vargo also said. "So, the power company and the gas company are working very closely together to coordinate everything."