At least 11 dead, several missing

At least 11 people have died and several are still missing after flash flooding hit San Antonio, Texas.

The severe storms on Wednesday and Thursday forced cars off roads, pushing some drivers into a creek, according to a local CBS, the BBC’s US news partner.

The San Antonio Fire Department said rescuers were searching for at least four people missing in the floods.

Officials said the death toll may change and their search and recovery efforts will take days.

The fire department has deployed K9 units and asked for additional assistance from a statewide urban search and rescue force.

Officials performed more than 70 water rescues as of Friday afternoon, according to the city’s website. At least four of those who were rescued were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, CBS reported.

Three of the people who died in the floods have been identified – Martha De La Torre Rangel, Matthew Angel Tufono, and Victor Manuel Macias Castro.

They were stuck in their cars near the Perrin Beitel neighbourhood at around 05:00 local time (11:00 GMT) amid the heavy rain on Thursday morning when the water came rushing in, CBS reported, citing fire officials.

One woman, Angel Richards, told CBS affiliate KENS 5 that her husband, Stevie, was on his way to work when he called to say he was caught in the floodwaters.

“It’s hard because I was on the phone when this happened, and then not to have a lot of communication, to see my car, it’s devastating to me,” Richards said. “No one can say to me, ‘Hey, this is what’s going on.'”

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg expressed his condolences to the families of the flood victims.

“Our hearts are with the families of those we’ve lost to this week’s flash floods and the families who continue searching for their loved ones,” Nirenberg said on X.

Joaquin Castro, a Democratic House Representative from San Antonio, called the flash floods a “tragedy”.

“My prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims of this week’s flash floods,” he said on X.

“San Antonio always stands together when tragedy strikes and we will continue to do so as our community grieves this loss.”