183 people removed from polygamist ranch

ELDORADO, Texas, April 5 (UPI) -- A total of 183 people, including 137 children, have been removed from a Texas ranch occupied by followers of a polygamist sect, authorities say.

A Texas Child Protective Services Division spokeswoman said Saturday the number of children and adults removed from the ranch continues to grow as an investigation into physical and sexual abuse at the site intensifies, CNN reported.

"We're trying to find out if they're safe," division spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said. "We need to know if they have been abused or neglected."

Authorities first arrived at the 900-acre YFZ ranch Thursday to serve arrest and search warrants.

Meisner said the authorities had been responding to a report of "physical abuse" involving a 16-year-old girl at the ranch.

The ranch is made up of followers of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a sect reportedly led by imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, CNN said.