At least five people were killed in San Antonio as heavy rain lashed eastern Texas and sent flash floods sweeping through the city overnight, officials said Thursday.

A slow-moving thunderstorm began dumping rain on the area Wednesday evening. By daybreak Thursday, emergency workers had responded to dozens of calls as floodwaters overwhelmed low-lying roads and swept away several vehicles, according to a spokesperson for the San Antonio Fire Department.

Four bodies were recovered from floodwaters, the spokesperson said. Ten people had been rescued from floodwaters and two more people were missing, he said.

According to radar-estimated amounts, about 7 inches of rain had fallen before sunrise in some parts of the region. San Antonio usually gets less than 6 inches of rainfall in June and July combined. It was still raining in San Antonio as of about 10 a.m. Thursday. Eric Platt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, warned that the flooding threat remained.

— The New York Times