Oprah leads prayers as 15 die in floods horror

OPRAH Winfrey led prayers for stricken California last night after mudslides killed at least 15 people.

Many more are still missing after heavy downpours caused flash flooding in the Santa Ynez Mountains.

The area was recently ravaged by the biggest wildfire in the state’s history which stripped vegetation from the ground.

Heavy rain then unleashed mud and loose boulders, destroying dozens of homes in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties.

Local sheriff Bill Brown said: “It looks like a first world war battlefield.”

One 14-year-old girl was pulled from the rubble of her collapsed home after being trapped for hours.

She was heard saying: “I thought I was dead for a minute there.”

Montecito, home to celebrities including Oprah, Ellen Degeneres and the Hadid modelling sisters, was hardest hit.

Oprah, 63, wrote on Instagram: “‘What a day! Praying for our community again in Santa Barbara.” She posted a number of videos. One was of a helicopter rescuing her neighbours. Another showed herself wading through thick mud.

Tennis legend Jimmy Connors, 65, tweeted how he had been airlifted from his home by helicopter.

He wrote: “Fires burn – rain comes – mud slides and devastation. Evacuated today by helicopter – thoughts and prayers for all!!!”

Hollywood star Rob Lowe, who lives nearby, tweeted: “Mourning the dead in our little town tonight.”