At least four people have died after their cars were swept away by Biblical floodwaters which tore through Texas on Thursday morning.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said two men and two women have been confirmed dead, while several people are still missing.
The deaths all occurred in the northeast part of the city, where authorities found 13 vehicles floating or submerged in the water.
‘It’s hard to determine at this point exactly how they got swept away,’ San Antonio Fire Department spokesman Woody Woodward said.
‘But it is an area where there was high water that was moving rapidly and there were several people that were caught in that water that had climbed up into trees and we did do a couple of rescues out of trees and some rescues out of vehicles.’
Woodward added that firefighters have responded to 65 rescue calls amid the raging torrent in San Antonio since midnight.
The flooding occurred after a round of slow-moving showers and thunderstorms in the area during the early morning hours Thursday, said Eric Platt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
At least four people have died after their cars were swept away by Biblical floodwaters which tore through Texas on Thursday morning. San Antonio Police confirmed the death toll
The deaths all occurred in the northeast part of the city, where authorities found 13 vehicles floating or submerged in the water.
Pictured: A police vehicle blocks a flooded roadway in San Antonio, Texas, where a vehicle was stranded after heavy rains deluged the city on Thursday
More than seven inches (17 centimeters) of rain fell in parts of the San Antonio area, according to the weather service.
By midmorning, flooding was receding, though Platt noted that rain was still falling in some areas.
He said he didn’t expect additional rain to be as heavy as overnight but noted anything that falls on saturated ground can be a flooding problem.
Police Chief McManus said the 13 submerged vehicles uncovered so far were concentrated around Beitel Creek near the highway.
‘These are low water crossings that the depth of the water and the speed at which it’s traveling are very, very hard to gauge,’ he said.
‘And if you venture into it when the water is deep, and the water’s moving real fast. You’re taking your life into your own hands.’
Police said the submerged vehicles were concentrated around Beitel Creek near the highway
Pictured: A police vehicle blocks a flooded roadway in San Antonio, Texas, where a vehicle was stranded after heavy rains deluged the city on Thursday
Thousands of people have also been left without electricity and dozens of roads have been closed down due to flooding.
The storm which struck San Antonio also spawned a tornado in nearby Hays County, which downed trees and spread debris across the streets.
National Weather Service meteorologists have issued a flash flood warning for 23 counties in Central Texas until 7pm on Thursday.
This is a breaking news story with updates to follow.
