logo
At Least 4 Dead, 2 Missing in San Antonio after Heavy Rains Flood Parts of Texas

At Least 4 Dead, 2 Missing in San Antonio after Heavy Rains Flood Parts of Texas

Asharq Al-Awsat3 days ago

Heavy rains swamped San Antonio early Thursday, killing at least four people who were swept away in floodwaters as crews rescued dozens of others, officials said.
Fire officials said they were still searching for two people who were missing. Calls for water rescues began shortly before sunrise, according to the San Antonio Police Department.
Two women and two men were found dead, police Chief William McManus said. He did not have their ages, The Associated Press reported.
The deaths all occurred in the northeast part of the city, where authorities found 13 vehicles 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.'
The department had made 65 water rescues since midnight throughout the San Antonio area, he said.
By midmorning, rain had stopped and the flooding was receding.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

At least 10 dead in flooding in Texas
At least 10 dead in flooding in Texas

Al Arabiya

timea day ago

  • Al Arabiya

At least 10 dead in flooding in Texas

Flooding from heavy rains in the southern US state of Texas led to at least 10 deaths, officials reported Friday, with several additional people reported missing. Intense downpours hit Thursday morning in the city of San Antonio, Texas, causing flash flooding on roads which pushed vehicles off the streets into a nearby creek bed, according to local broadcaster KENS5. The station reported the San Antonio Fire Department was searching for at least four additional victims. City officials reported the death toll had reached 10 fatalities by Friday afternoon. '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,' San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a post on X. 'I want to personally thank our San Antonio first responders and their families for their sacrifices toward the recovery efforts.' City officials said first responders had conducted over 70 water rescues and 16 high water investigations since the flooding began. Scientists have long warned that climate change driven by man-made fossil fuel emissions is increasing the likelihood, intensity and length of extreme weather events such as torrential rains.

At Least 4 Dead, 2 Missing in San Antonio after Heavy Rains Flood Parts of Texas
At Least 4 Dead, 2 Missing in San Antonio after Heavy Rains Flood Parts of Texas

Asharq Al-Awsat

time3 days ago

  • Asharq Al-Awsat

At Least 4 Dead, 2 Missing in San Antonio after Heavy Rains Flood Parts of Texas

Heavy rains swamped San Antonio early Thursday, killing at least four people who were swept away in floodwaters as crews rescued dozens of others, officials said. Fire officials said they were still searching for two people who were missing. Calls for water rescues began shortly before sunrise, according to the San Antonio Police Department. Two women and two men were found dead, police Chief William McManus said. He did not have their ages, The Associated Press reported. The deaths all occurred in the northeast part of the city, where authorities found 13 vehicles 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.' The department had made 65 water rescues since midnight throughout the San Antonio area, he said. By midmorning, rain had stopped and the flooding was receding.

Search resumes after floods kill 49 in South Africa
Search resumes after floods kill 49 in South Africa

Al Arabiya

time3 days ago

  • Al Arabiya

Search resumes after floods kill 49 in South Africa

Rescue teams in South Africa raced on Thursday to reach survivors after heavy rains flooded parts of an eastern province, with 49 people already confirmed dead and fears the toll could rise. Torrential rains and freezing temperatures struck the largely rural and underdeveloped Eastern Cape on Monday, causing major flooding that submerged houses and swept away at least one minibus transporting children to school, four of whom were still missing. 'We may have more people unaccounted for,' Eastern Cape government spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie told AFP. Rantjie said that five teams were involved in search and rescue efforts around the city of Mthatha, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) south of Johannesburg. Among the 49 confirmed dead, at least four were children, the province's top official, Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, said on Wednesday. They had been in a school minibus carrying 11 children that was swept away by high water. Authorities said four children and two adults in the bus were confirmed to have died, while three children were found alive. 'We have never seen this kind of combination of snow and torrential rains in winter simultaneously,' Mabuyane said. 'We are reeling,' Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube told public broadcaster SABC News in an interview from Mthatha early Thursday. She said that in addition to the schoolgoers in the minibus, a boy died when he was swept away by water while walking to school. Images on local media showed houses completely under water and rescue teams wading through the mud. Around 600 people have been displaced, the provincial government said, with many sheltering in community halls. There was also significant damage to infrastructure, including to power and water supplies, with at least 20 health facilities affected, local authorities said. The province, where Nelson Mandela was born, is among the poorest in the country, with 72 percent of its population living below the poverty line, according to the Southern African Regional Poverty Network. President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that emergency services, including the National Disaster Management Centre, were 'giving the requisite attention to crises as they unfold.' Snow and heavy rainfall are common during winter in South Africa, but the country is also highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate variability and change, which increases the frequency and severity of droughts, floods, and wildfires, according to the Green Climate Fund.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store