Search Underway for Missing 10-Year-Old Girl Swept Away by Flood in Texas

• An official search is underway for a 10-year-old girl who went missing amid flooding in Brenham, Texas, due to severe storms on Monday, May 5
• The girl was reportedly heading home from school with her sibling when she was swept away by rapidly rising waters in the area
• Multiple search and rescue teams are searching for the child on the ground and in the water, the Brenham Fire Department said

Authorities are searching for a 10-year-old girl who is missing amid flooding in Texas. 

The child was swept away by “rapidly rising floodwaters” in Brenham, due to severe storms in the area, at around 4:25 p.m. local time on Monday, May 5, the Brenham Fire Department stated in a news release on Facebook.

“The City of Brenham Fire Department, in coordination with approximately 12 supporting agencies, is actively searching for a school-aged female who was swept away by rapidly rising floodwaters at approximately 4:25 p.m. today,” the fire department said.

“Two Swift Water Rescue teams are currently searching the area near the Burleson Street Bridge. The coordinated search effort extends from the bridge toward Old Independence Road, with multiple agencies assisting in ground and water operations.”

The Brenham Fire Department said 14 agencies are searching for the missing girl “along the creek banks,” while the Texas Task Force One and Washington County Search and Rescue are searching in the water.

The child, whose identity has not been released at this time, was on her way home from school with her sibling when the creek waters rose rapidly and swept her away, KBTX and ABC News reported. The sibling went to find help during the incident and is safe, according to the outlets.

The Brenham Fire Department said “several rescue attempts were made by people nearby,” along with the Brenham Police Department, per the release. 

As of 10:00 p.m. local time on Monday, the search and rescue operations in the water were temporarily scaled back “due to another band of heavy thunderstorms moving through the area,” the fire department said.

“Throughout the night, land-based search teams, drones equipped with thermal imaging, and specially trained canines will continue the search for the missing 10-year-old,” authorities added in an update on Facebook.

Search and rescue teams will resume operations at 6:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, May 6.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Brenham Mayor Atwood Kenjura told KBTX, “The response has been phenomenal but it’s such a swift water and it’s going to be difficult now with the light conditions going away. My heart goes out to [the family], I mean, this is just something that shouldn’t happen.”

PEOPLE has reached out to the Brenham Fire Department for additional information.