Multiple flash flood warnings remained in place across central Texas after water surged through communities, with the Guadalupe River rising by 26 feet (eight meters) in just 45 minutes.

The Kerr County summer camp where hundreds were staying was left in disarray, with blankets, teddy bears and other belongings caked in mud.

"We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. Among these who are deceased we have 28 adults and 15 children," said Larry Leitha, the sheriff of the flood-ravaged region.

Multiple victims were also found in other counties, bringing the death toll to 50 so far.

There was better news for Congressman August Pfluger, who said Saturday his two young daughters were safely evacuated from Camp Mystic in flooded Kerr County, where the windows of cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water.

"The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors," the Texas Republican wrote on X.

It was unclear if the two girls were among the 27 that authorities said were still missing as of Saturday.

Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem said the US Coast Guard was "punching through storms" to evacuate stranded residents.

"We will fly throughout the night and as long as possible," she said in a post on X.

Texas Department of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said air, ground and water-based crews were scouring the length of the Guadalupe River for survivors and the bodies of the dead.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said keeping the search going throughout the night was essential as "every hour counts".

The flooding began Friday -- the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend -- as months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours.

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that more rain was forecast, and that "excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations."

In Kerrville on Saturday, the usually calm Guadalupe was flowing fast, its murky waters filled with debris.

"The water reached the top of the trees. About 10 meters or so," said resident Gerardo Martinez, 61. "Cars, whole houses were going down the river."

Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual.

But scientists say that in recent years human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves more frequent and more intense.

- Devastation at Camp Mystic -

On Saturday, Sheriff Leitha said 27 children from Camp Mystic were still missing.

Around 750 girls were attending Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe at the time of the flood.

The owner and director of Camp Mystic was also dead, according to the Kerrville website, as was the manager of another nearby summer camp.

Elsewhere in Texas, four people were confirmed dead in Travis County, northeast of Kerr, and 13 people were missing, public information office director Hector Nieto told AFP.

A 62-year-old woman's body was found in the city of San Angelo in Tom Green County, along the Concho River, police said.

Two more people died in Burnet County, the area's emergency management coordinator Derek Marchio told AFP, bringing the state-wide death toll to 50.

- 'Catastrophic' -

Noem earlier said Trump wanted to "upgrade the technologies" at the weather service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

"We need to renew this ancient system," Noem told a press conference.

Scientists and disaster management agencies have criticized Trump for cutting funding and staffing at the NOAA, in charge of weather forecasts and preparedness, and the NWS.

When asked about claims that residents were given insufficient warning, Noem said she would "carry your concerns back to the federal government."

Officials and residents alike were shocked by the speed and intensity of the flooding.

"We didn't know this flood was coming," Kerr County official Rob Kelly said Friday.

The rain was "double of what was anticipated," Kerrville city official Dalton Rice said.

Soila Reyna, 55, a Kerrville resident who works at a church helping people who lost their belongings, witnessed the devastation unfold.

"Nothing like as catastrophic as this, where it involved children, people and just the loss of people's houses," Reyna said.

"It's just crazy."

burs-aha/aks/rsc/abh/jfx

X