Two bodies were recovered from a submerged car in Millbrae Thursday morning as heavy rain doused the region and caused flooding in spots, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said.
Emergency crews responded around 5:45 a.m. to the area of Hemlock Avenue and E. Hillcrest Boulevard after receiving a call about flooding, sheriff's office spokesperson Javier Acosta said. Rainwater had inundated a low-lying stretch of E. Hillcrest Boulevard beneath train tracks.
"The entirety of the underpass was completely filled with water," witness Amy Jewell said.
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Firefighters found one person standing on top of their car and were able to rescue them, Acosta said.
Firefighters spotted a second car stuck in the standing water, but they had to retreat to higher ground because the water was rising too fast, according to Acosta.
The victims' relatives arrived to Millbrae from Los Angeles Thursday evening. After waiting outside for a while, neighbors approached them and told them that their loved ones died earlier Thursday morning in the flooded underpass.
Neighbors told NBC Bay Area’s Sergio Quintana that the victims, who were a couple, recently moved in the area and added they were friendly.
Millbrae resident Anabella Amador Griego said that she was sad that the victims' family members, who came to the area to find out the sad news that their loved ones.
“Their family came up from Los Angeles to spend Christmas and New Year's with them. And they've been trying to get a hold of them all day and no answer,” she said.
The two victims have yet to be identified.
Officials are still trying to figure out what triggered the flooding.
Earlier Thursday evening, the San Mateo County Coroner arrived and they let the victims’ families into the house to retrieve the three dogs inside.
