BYRON — About 40 cattle were swept away from their pasture in southern Minnesota as heavy rainfall caused the Zumbro River to swell.

Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson says some of the cattle have been located, but it’s going to take some time for authorities to access them due to flooding. Some cattle were still unaccounted for as of noon Friday.

Torgerson says the incident happened near Byron. Video posted online shows several cows being swiftly pushed downriver in the current.

National Weather Service records show the Rochester International Airport saw about 5 inches of rain during a six-hour period early Friday. Dodge County, to the west, also saw overnight thunderstorms, contributing to flooding of the Zumbro River.

Several roads in the area were covered with water Friday morning and were closed.