A Texas sheriff's deputy is confirmed dead after a sinkhole opened Sunday night in San Antonio, swallowing a pair of cars, according to multiple reports.
Citing unidentified sources, WOAI reported that a woman who works for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office was unaccounted for Monday morning, hours after authorities were called to respond to a request for a water rescue on Quintara Road.
The deputy was not identified, although WOAI said she was worked part-time as a deputy at the Bexar County Courthouse.
Fire officials on Monday confirmed that one person was killed after a car fell into the sinkhole. Authorities found it upside-down in the hole, submerged almost completely in 12 feet of water.
Crews worked to get the car out of the still-high water in the sinkhole and to recover the body inside. Officials initially declined to discuss the identity of the person.
"We're receiving information (but) … at this time I don't want to speculate on anything until we're sure," fire Chief Charles Hood said. "At this time, this is a body recovery. We do have a lot of water running through the hole."
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office confirmed Monday afternoon that the death was Deputy Dora Linda (Solis) Nishihara.
"We are heartbroken to confirm Deputy Dora Linda (Solis) Nishihara passed away after her car fell into a sinkhole Sunday," the office said.
The pit continued to grow overnight, partially because of flowing water inside the hole and aided by the vibrations made by trains running on nearby tracks.
A spokesman for the San Antonino Water System said the pit was filled with sewer water on Monday morning.
"We don't know how this happened," he said, adding that officials won't be able to determine whether recent work on area pipes caused the sinkhole until after the pit is cleared of water.
Officials were alerted to the sinkhole around 7:30 p.m. local time. Hood said one person was saved by a bystander after falling into the pit, which spanned the entirety of the road by Monday morning.
San Antonio fire Battalion Chief Brian O'Neil told the San Antonio Express-News that a woman was injured after she saved a 60-year-old man from the sinkhole.
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