WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A woman and her four grandchildren died after heavy floods in Texas swept them away from their house overnight, police said.

Floodwater in the town of Palestine — around 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Dallas — rose quickly after a creek behind a residential area overflowed its banks, local media reported.

The victims were a 64-year-old woman and her grandchildren aged six, seven, eight and nine, police said in a statement.

“The water just came up extremely fast,” Palestine police Captain James Muniz told NBC News. “Before they knew it, water was waist-high, then chest-high and then it was roof-line.”

Police were informed the victims were missing shortly after midnight on Friday and discovered their bodies around 3:45 am (0745 GMT).

The fast-moving floodwaters displaced six to eight more families from their houses on the same block, police said.

Storms moving through central and southern states on Friday and early Saturday caused the flooding.

Thunderstorms are expected to continue threatening parts of the South with flash-flooding on Saturday.