Rescue teams are scrambling to find 20 girls who went missing from a riverside summer camp on Friday after heavy rains triggered flash flooding in south-central Texas, killing at least 24 people.
"As far as I can confirm at this point, we have approximately 24 fatalities," Kerr County Sheriff Larry Lithia said at a press conference Friday evening, as rescuers worked to evacuate affected residents in the area northwest of San Antonio.
Some of the dead were children, according to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.
"There are children still missing," said the county sheriff, adding that between 23 and 25 people remain unaccounted for.
Lieutenant Governor Patrick had previously stated that "approximately 23" girls who were attending a summer camp in the affected Kerr County had not been found.
The girls are among a group of approximately 760 children at Camp Mystic, a girls' summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, which rose eight meters in 45 minutes as heavy rains fell overnight.
"That doesn't mean they're lost. They may have climbed trees or they may not have any means of communication," he added.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he was declaring a disaster to bolster resources in the affected counties in the region.
"It's terrible, these floods... they're shocking," President Donald Trump said. When asked if Texas would receive federal aid, he replied, "Yes, absolutely, we'll take care of it. We're working with the governor."
A massive rescue operation is underway in the area, with approximately 500 personnel and 14 helicopters searching for survivors.
Major General Thomas Sultzer, the military official in Texas, confirmed to reporters that emergency crews had rescued or evacuated at least 237 people, with 167 helicopter rescues.
"We had difficulty getting in this morning due to the inclement weather," said Freeman Martin, director of the state Department of Public Safety, on Friday evening. "Gradually, conditions improved, and we were able to rescue more people. We will continue to do so tomorrow."
US media reported that trucks arrived at the Mystic campground to remove stranded people.
Local and state officials advised residents not to travel to the riverfront campground, stressing that dozens of roads were "impassable."
Videos on social media showed homes and trees swept away by flash floods caused by overnight rainfall that exceeded 30 centimeters, equivalent to one-third of Kerr County's annual rainfall.
Governor Abbott posted a video on Twitter showing a helicopter with a paramedic dangling from it rescuing a victim from a tree as torrential floodwaters flowed below.
He said, "Air rescue missions like this are being conducted around the clock. We will not stop until everyone is accounted for."
The Texas National Guard dispatched rescue teams, and the U.S. Coast Guard also joined the effort.
Public Safety Officer Martin warned of "another wave" that could affect other counties in the state, adding, "It's not going to end today."
Kerr County officials repeatedly stated that they were unaware of the impending flooding Thursday night.
"We had no idea this was coming," said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, adding that the area experiences "flooding all the time."
He described the Guadalupe River as "the most dangerous canyon in the United States."
Meteorologists issued a flood warning for Kerr County, urging residents near the river to "move to higher ground."
Flash flooding, which occurs when the ground cannot absorb heavy rain, is not unusual.
But scientists say that human-caused climate change in recent years has made extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, and heat waves, more frequent and severe.
In the northeastern state of New Jersey, at least two people were killed when a tree fell on their car during a "severe storm," police confirmed Friday.
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