The body of a 20-year-old man has been found by authorities in Texas after the car he was driving got caught up in raging floodwaters in Medina County, Texas.

The Medina County Sheriff’s Office was called on Monday evening as the man found himself trapped in his car that had been ‘swept off the roadway in high water’, west of San Antonio. 

The man had been driving home in the dark when his vehicle was swept away by a rising tide during a flash flood. 

At least two inches of rain fell in a short space of time, but by the time emergency services arrived on the scene they found just an empty car without anyone inside.

Police began searching for the man on Monday evening but after searching in the dark for several hours were forced to abandon the search before continuing with additional personnel the following morning. 

The young man’s body was found later on Tuesday some five miles away from where his car was recovered. 

First responders from all over the area waded into the thick mud and hacked their way through debris before they finally came across the man’s body.

‘There was a lot of boots on the ground working different directions on this creek bottom,’ Brown added.

‘The 20-year-old young man has unfortunately lost his life to this tragic event and Law Enforcement has been in contact with the family,’ Medina County police said. 

The man, who was not from the U.S. but had relatives living nearby, has not yet been publicly identified. 

‘It’s really a tough thing. You know, you never have the words to say to people,’ Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown said to KENS. ‘In times like that our hearts go out to the family.’

‘My dispatcher was able to have a 12 minute conversation back and forth. There was a lot of panic,’ Brown said. 

Because of the heavy rains, parts Medina County were under a flash flood warning from the National Weather Service from late on Sunday night until early Monday morning.  

‘Many first responders are willing to risk a lot for a lot, that’s an absolute given, but when you are in those conditions you already can’t see, so if you don’t have to be on the road, don’t. It’s not worth it,’ Sarah Windsor, Assistant Chief of Medina County Emergency Service said to KENS5.

‘We would prefer that all of our citizens stay nice and safe and dry.’ 

Windsor said that fast-flowing water in the dark can look like solid ground and lead to drivers becoming trapped.

‘You would never really know if it’s anything other than roadway unless you know and you saw it rise,’ Windsor explained.

‘It becomes a very, very, very dangerous situation, especially with how violent that water is,’ she said.