BRENHAM, Texas (KTRK) — A search and rescue effort is underway after a 10-year-old girl was swept away by quickly rising water in Brenham on Monday, according to fire officials.
The incident happened on Monday evening near Fireman’s Park for a swift water rescue.
Fire officials say the girl was walking home from Brenham Elementary with her sister in the rain. The girls crossed a bridge, but water quickly rose and splashed up around the side of the bridge, sweeping one of them away.
A male neighbor was able to grab hold of the child initially, but the water was too powerful, and she was swept out of his arms, according to fire officials.
A Brenham police officer also got in the water, but was unable to make contact with the child, authorities said.
“This is normal behavior for her to walk home and walk by the creek and get to her house. This was nothing unusual. This was a quickly rising creek that nobody could have seen coming,” Melinda Gordon, with the City of Brenham, said.
Search and rescue efforts are underway, and a six-person Conroe Swift Water Rescue Team is en route to help with the search.
In a 7:58 p.m. update, Brenham fire officials say they are actively searching for the child in coordination with more than a dozen supporting agencies.
Land-based search teams worked hard overnight but had to scale back their efforts as rain came through.
Authorities said search crews will resume operations at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, as soon as it is safe to do so.
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.