More than 50 dead in Texas floods; children missing

Heavy rains caused the Guadalupe River to suddenly overflow its banks. Teams are searching for more than 20 children who were camping in the area and went missing during the storm. Torrential rains caused flash floods along the Guadalupe River in the US state of Texas on Friday (04/07), leaving more than 50 people dead, including 15 children, according to US media.

Among the victims identified so far are two children aged 8 and 9 who were part of Camp Mystic, a Christian camp for girls.

Authorities are still searching for a group of more than 20 girls who were attending summer camp near the riverbank when the area was engulfed by water around 4 a.m. local time.

The National Weather Service has declared a flood emergency for parts of Kerr County, located in the mountainous region of south-central Texas. The rains have accumulated to a foot of rainfall, equivalent to a third of the county's expected annual average.

Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice told reporters the extreme flooding occurred before dawn with no warning, making it impossible to issue evacuation orders.

"This happened very quickly, in a very short period of time that could not have been predicted, even by radar," Rice said. "It all happened in less than two hours."

The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes overnight. Rescue teams are using 14 helicopters and a dozen drones, as well as hundreds of emergency workers, to search for the missing.

Hundreds of children were camping in the region

Hundreds of other children in camps in the area are safe but have not yet been able to be evacuated due to roads blocked by floodwaters.

On Friday, the director of Camp Mystic reported, in a message read by journalists, that the site is also without electricity, water and Wi-Fi.

"Everybody is doing everything they can to get these kids out of there," Rob Kelly, the county's top elected official, said at a news conference.

Kelly said several residential neighborhoods, mobile home parks and campgrounds were hit hard.

As of Saturday night, authorities had confirmed the rescue of more than 850 people.

The Llano River, which runs through neighboring Mason County, also reached flood stage, posing a "life-threatening situation," the weather service said.

With more rain expected in the region, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick warned that the risk of further flash flooding remains over the next two days.

Teams from the U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency have been mobilized to support local authorities in responding to the crisis, officials said.

In June, 10 people died in the region due to flash floods caused by torrential rains.

Torrential rains like those that fell in Texas are becoming more common around the world because of climate change, as a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture.

In Texas, the number of days of heavy rain or snow has increased by 20% since 1900, and days of intense heat are expected to increase by 10% over the next ten years.

gq/ra (Reuters, AFP, AP, ots)