Flooding storms sweep through Bucks County, PA, multiple missing and many dead

A sudden flash flood swamped a southeastern Pennsylvania road, sweeping several cars away and claiming at least four lives. Three other people, including two small children from the same family, remain missing.

Officials in Bucks County's Makefield Township said torrential rains occurred at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the Washington Crossing area.

Tim Brewer, Upper Makefield's fire chief, told reporters that the area got about 6 1/2 to seven inches of rain in 45 minutes.

"In my 44 years, I've never seen anything like it," he said. "When the water came up, it came up very swiftly. We do not think that anybody drove into it, that they were actively on that road when it happened."

There was "approximately four to five feet of water over the road," he said. There were about 11 cars on the road at the time, and three were swept away.