At least 43 people, including 15 children, have died after flash floods swept through central Texas, authorities confirmed on Saturday as rescuers continued the urgent search for campers, vacationers and residents.

Officials warned the death toll is likely to rise, with flooding affecting areas beyond the main disaster zone in Kerr County.

In Travis County, authorities confirmed four deaths and said 13 people remain unaccounted for. One additional death was reported in Kendall County.

The total number of fatalities remains unclear, with some news outlets reporting it as high as 52 – though this figure has not been officially confirmed.

Boerne Search and Rescue teams prepare deployment routes along the Guadalupe River (Getty Images)

Officials have said over 850 people had been rescued, some by clinging to trees, after an unexpected storm saw about 15 inches of rain rising around the Guadalupe River, roughly 85 miles northwest of San Antonio.

Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mustic summer camp, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday evening.

He said there may be others beyond the 27, but “we will not put a number on the other side because we just don’t know.”

The disaster developed quickly on Friday morning, as the unexpected downpour quickly saw river levels rising as high as 29 feet.

Laeighton Sterling (R) and Nicole Whelam observe flood waters from the banks of the Guadalupe River (Getty Images)

“We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the area.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 17 of the confirmed dead, including five children, remain unidentified.

The National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency is largely over for Kerr County, after thunderstorms saw half the amount of rain the region typically sees in a year. A flood watch was in effect until 7pm for the surrounding area.

Kerr County is part of Texas Hill County, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and attractions for tourists.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area to celebrate Independence Day by the river.

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US president Donald Trump addressed the deadly floods on Saturday. On his Truth Social platform, he said his administration was working with state and local officials on the ground in Texas to respond “to the tragic flooding” that occurred a day before.

“Our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, will be there shortly,” Trump wrote.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday, Noem pledged that the Trump administration would use all available resources to help the state in its rescue efforts, including by bringing in more fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to aid with operations.

She said the government would make it a priority to upgrade National Weather Service technology used to deliver warnings.

Noem said:

We know that everyone wants more warning time, and that’s why we’re working to upgrade the technology that’s been neglected for far too long to make sure families have as much advance notice as possible.

For context: Some state and local officials have said the NWS failed to provide accurate forecasts ahead of Friday’s destructive flooding.

“The original forecast that we received Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3-6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4-8 inches in the Hill Country,” Texas emergency management chief W. Nim Kidd told journalists on Friday. “The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.”

Rescuers were continuing to scour a devastated central Texas landscape of mangled trees, overturned cars and muck-filled debris in an increasingly bleak mission to locate survivors.

The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties.

Among the missing are 27 girls who have not been seen since their camp was hit by a wall of water in a historic flash flood.

Authorities have not said how many people are missing beyond the children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County, where most of the dead were recovered.

The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet on the Guadalupe River in just 45 minutes before daybreak on Friday, washing away homes and vehicles.

The danger was not over as rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.

Debris on a bridge over the Guadalupe River after the flooding (Julio Cortez/AP)

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.

Governor Greg Abbott vowed that authorities would work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded.

He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state.

“I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,” he said in a statement.

Fast-moving waters rose 26 feet in 45 minutes, washing away homes and vehicles (Eric Gay/AP)

Authorities were coming under scrutiny about whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding had received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.

The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have swum and spent time outdoors.

The area is especially popular around the July 4 holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.

“We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said previously.