(CNN) Rescuers are expected to restart their search Saturday morning for a 4-year-old boy who was swept away in a flooded Indiana creek after heavy rains hit the region, authorities said.

Catastrophic storms tore through the central US this week, unleashing flooding and tornadoes, and devastating parts of the region.

Owen Jones slipped into floodwaters Thursday.

Owen Jones was playing Thursday with his friends near Deer Creek in Delphi when the incident happened.

A group of kids -- between ages 12 and 16 -- who were with Owen called 911 and tried to follow him but lost sight of him. Heavy rains added to the already-strong current that carried Owen downstream, said Lt. Dan Dulin of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Recent rains have made the current so strong that divers couldn't search for boy, Dulin said. Rescuers used boats with sonar and drones instead, he said.

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