Of the confirmed fatalities, eight have not yet been identified.
The rescue efforts will continue until every missing person is found, says police chief Larry Leitha in Kerr County.
I want to assure you all that we do not give up until every single person has been found – we have all the resources we need.
Over 850 people have been rescued and evacuated unharmed. Eight people are injured.
The mayor of Kerrville, Joe Herring, warned in the morning that the city has a tough day ahead of it.
–People need to know: it's going to be a tough day today.
Camp girls missing
The search and rescue team is combing through the flooded area on Saturday with the help of special equipment and helicopters. The terrain is described as very difficult.
The work begins southwest of Camp Mystic where over 20 girls are still missing from a Christian summer camp by the Guadalupe River, says city manager Dalton Rice. A nine-year-old girl is confirmed to have died, as well as the camp manager.
The private summer camp had 750 participants. Some participants were evacuated from there by helicopters in the middle of the night.
The camp was completely destroyed, says a 13-year-old girl who was rescued from a cabin.
Relatives have published pictures of missing children on the local police's Facebook page during Friday.
Death toll feared to rise
The authorities are still working to identify the deceased and warn that the death toll may rise. In addition to the camp girls, it is unclear how many other people are missing, according to Dalton Rice.
–We have no reliable figure, and we do not even want to start making an estimate right now, he says.
Texas Governor Greg Abbot has signed a so-called disaster declaration to ensure resources, he announces on the platform X. All available resources, including the Texas National Guard, have been deployed and around 1,000 people are reported to be working on the rescue effort.
The federal government is also supporting state and local authorities, writes President Donald Trump on social media.
Danger not over
The water level of the Guadalupe River rose 6.7 meters within two hours, according to the weather agency National Weather Service. When the meter stopped working, the rise was measured at nine meters.
In addition to Kerrville, other communities in the area were affected, including Ingram.
Many campers who were out during the holiday on the US National Day on July 4 are reported to have been surprised by the water masses after the sudden downpour.
The heavy rains and thunderstorms continue over parts of central and southern Texas during the weekend and several warnings have been issued, reports CNN.
