Hundreds of rescuers have been deployed to search for people missing in central Texas, after flash floods killed 51 people, including 15 children.

The worst affected area is Kerr County where 43 people havedied and where 27 children remain missing from a Christian youth camp located along the River Guadalupe.

“The work continues, and will continue, until everyone is found,” promised Larry Leitha, the sheriff of Kerr County.

People have also been confirmed dead in other parts of the state, including Travis County and Tom Green County.

Multiple flash flood warnings remain in place over the weekend in central Texas.

About 850 people have been rescued so far.

At a news conference on Saturday afternoon, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he had signed an expanded disaster declaration to boost search efforts.

He said officials would be relentless in ensuring they locate “every single person who’s been a victim of this event”, adding that “we will stop when the job is completed”.

It remains a search and rescue mission, officials said, not a recovery effort.

They said rescuers were going up and down the Guadalupe River to try to find people who may have been swept away by the floods.

US President Donald Trump said his administration was working closely with local authorities to respond to the emergency.

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Watch: Texans face flood aftermath

Forecasters have warned that central Texas may see more flooding this weekend.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said the area could see 2 to 5in (5cm to 12cm) of rain on Saturday.

Up to 10in of rain was possible in some areas badly affected by Friday’s deluge.

Much of the rescue has focused on a large all-girls’ Christian summer camp called Camp Mystic, located along the banks of the Guadalupe River.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told the BBC’s Radio 4 PM programme many of 27 missing girls were “under the age of 12”.

Pictures from the camp show it in disarray, with blankets, mattresses, teddy bears and other belongings caked in mud.

Many were asleep when the river rose more than 26ft (8m) in less than an hour in the early hours of Friday.

In an email to parents of the roughly 750 campers, Camp Mystic said that if they had not been contacted directly, their child had been accounted for.

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A boy saved by barbed wire, a ‘destroyed’ camp and missed warning signs in Texas floods

More details of those who died have started to emerge – some were as young as eight. It has also been confirmed sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, who were 13 and 11, are among the dead.

A special Mass will be held at Notre Dame Catholic Church on Sunday for those who died or are missing, and their families.

Scores of campers holidaying during the Independence Day weekend, were also unaccounted for.

Lorena Guillen, whose home and restaurant were destroyed, had 28 holidaymakers’ cars staying on her land near the river. She told the BBC News Channel that she heard screams from a family of five.

“They were getting washed away,” Guillen said. “They were clinging on trees to be rescued. But the rescuers couldn’t get to them.”

‘It could have been me’

Rachel Reed drove five hours from Dallas to pick up her daughter. She told the BBC that members of her Church and children’s school district were among the girls dead and missing.

“The families of those campers are living every parent’s worst nightmare,” she said. “Of course, it could have been me.”

Others started returning to the flooded areas.

Jonathan and Brittany Rojas visited their relatives’ home – where only the foundation remained.

They told the BBC that the mother and a baby of the family remained missing. A teenage son, Leo, survived after he became snared in barbed wire.

Another resident, Anthony, found his apartment full of mud and debris. His belongings were not salvageable, except a box holding childhood photos and his baby blanket.

“I lost everything I own,” he told the BBC. “Now I’m trying to figure things out.”

Additional reporting by Iona Hampson in Texas and Ana Faguy in Washington.

Have you been affected by flooding in Texas? Please get in touch if it is safe to do so.

Bodies of more children recovered Saturday, Central Texas flood death toll climbs to 51

Officials in Central Texas say they don’t have an accurate count of the number of people missing after catastrophic flash floods swept through the Guadalupe River corridor on Friday.

Texas flooding latest: Two sisters among 51 dead as desperate search for campers swept away enters third day

Donald Trump described the flooding as ‘terrible’ as emergency services search for dozens of missing children

Four girls missing from a summer camp were found dead as a desperate search for dozens of other campers continues after devastating floods hit Texas, killing at least 51.

At least 15 children were killed as a result of what Texas GOP Congressman Chip Roy called a “once-in-a-century flood.” More than 850 people from around the region have been rescued or evacuated, officials said Saturday.

Two girls — 13-year-old Blair and 11-year-old Brooke — were among those killed by the floods, their father told CNN on Saturday night. Harber said Blair “was a gifted student and had a generous, kind heart,” and described Brooke as “like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment.”

There are also 27 girls still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River that was ravaged by the floods, officials said. At least four girls who attended Camp Mystic have been confirmed dead, according to reports, marking a tragic end to a day-long search.

The unexpected flash flooding struck on Friday after torrential rain along the Guadalupe River. The destructive force of the fast-rising waters just before dawn on Friday washed out homes and swept away vehicles.

Key Points

• Death toll rises to 51
• Witness accounts lay bare horror of the floods
• Mapped: Where was hit by the deadly flooding?
• How the Texas Hill Country flood went from small water flow to deadly tide in a matter of hours
• Trump ‘heartbroken’ over Texas flooding

1 hour ago

Trump says he’s ‘praying’ for Texas families

President Donald Trump said his administration is working “on the ground” in Texas to support the state amid devastating floods.

“The Trump Administration is working with State and Local Officials on the ground in Texas in response to the tragic flooding that took place yesterday,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, will be there shortly. Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy.”

“Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best,” he added. “ GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!”

Katie Hawkinson6 July 2025 08:29

1 hour ago

Alex Croft6 July 2025 08:08

1 hour ago

Witness recalls ‘indescribable’ moment of the flooding

Tonia Fucci, a Pennsylvania resident visiting her grandmother for the Independence Day weekend, woke early on Friday to the sound of heavy rain “coming down in buckets.”

“It’s indescribable, the sounds, of how loud they were, which turned out to be … the massive cypress trees that came down along the river,” she told a Reuters reporter in an interview the next day.

Ms Fucci filmed on her phone a torrent of muddy water flooding the road to her grandmother’s house and two recreational vehicles in a parking lot, with their wheels submerged in water.

“I’m still in shock today,” Fucci told Reuters news agency. “There’s so many missing children and missing people. You just want them to be found for the sake of the families. But, you know, it’s not going to be a good ending… There’s no way people could have survived the swiftness of the water.”

Ms Fucci said she had received National Weather alerts on her phone hours after the flood had already hit. The residents of the town had to rely on one another, as they ran to their neighbors to see who needed help before rescue teams arrived.

“Something I’ve never seen before. You knew it was tragedy,” Ms Fucci said.

Alex Croft6 July 2025 07:47

2 hours ago

ICYMI: Congressman reunited with daughters after flooding

Representative August Pfluger shared that he and his wife were reunited with their two daughters, who were attending Camp Mystic.

“Camille, Vivian and I are now reunited with Caroline and Juliana who were evacuated from Camp Mystic,” he wrote. “The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors.”

Katie Hawkinson6 July 2025 07:00

4 hours ago

Texas officials question scaled-back Weather Service’s actions on the night of the floods – but experts say the agency did all it could

Texas officials are questioning the actions of the National Weather Service leading up to Friday’s deadly floods, as fellow meteorologists defend the agency.

Some state and local officials say the NWS didn’t provide accurate forecasts ahead of Friday’s destructive flooding, months after President Donald Trump’s administration gutted the agency and experts warned forecasts could suffer.

Keep reading:

Texas officials question NWS actions amid floods as experts defend the agency

Local lawmakers admitted that “there’s going to be a lot of finger-pointing” over what went wrong before the devastating floods

Katie Hawkinson6 July 2025 05:00

5 hours ago

62-year-old woman found dead in San Angelo

A 62-year-old woman was found dead amid floodwaters in San Angelo, Texas.

Tanya Burwick’s body was recovered several blocks from her submerged car, the San Angelo Police Department said.

Katie Hawkinson6 July 2025 04:25

5 hours ago

Death toll rises to 52

Fifty-two people have been killed by the disastrous flooding in central Texas, according to a new tally Saturday evening by The New York Times.

Katie Hawkinson6 July 2025 03:53

5 hours ago

Trump ‘heartbroken’ over Texas flooding

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said President Donald Trump is “heartbroken” over the Texas flooding.

“Know that President Trump is absolutely heartbroken by what’s happened here in Texas,” Noem said.

“Relief will be coming,” Noem added, noting that Trump has indicated he’ll accept Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s request for federal aid.

Katie Hawkinson6 July 2025 03:46

6 hours ago

Man recounts rescuing victim caught in floodwaters

Texas resident Carl Jeter told CNN he helped rescue a woman swept away in the Guadalupe River as heavy storms battered the state.

The woman was stuck in the Guadalupe River for four hours before pulling herself up onto a tree, Jeter told CNN.

He called the police to rescue her, but when they didn’t arrive within 30 minutes, he sprang into action.

Jeter said he got into his car and flagged down a nearby rescue officer. Soon afterward, a water rescue team helped get the woman to safety.

She then waited inside Jeter’s home until a family member picked her up.

“It’s a true miracle,” Jeter told CNN. “We’ve been on the river for a long time and that’s not something that is survivable.”

Katie Hawkinson6 July 2025 03:25

6 hours ago

Photos of rescue teams searching for missing campers after Texas Hill Country flash flood

Photos of rescue teams searching for missing campers after Texas Hill Country flash flood

A powerful flash flood swept through Texas Hill Country, causing widespread devastation and leading to the deaths of multiple adults and children. Search and rescue teams using helicopters, boats and drones are working nonstop to find survivors and victims. Camp Mystic, a Christian girls summer camp, was especially hard hit, with many campers still missing.