WASHINGTON: At least nine children and 18 adults have died after severe flooding hit the southern US state of Texas, authorities confirmed on Saturday, with several children still missing from a summer camp.
The extent of the catastrophe remains unclear, more than 24 hours after the flooding began.
At least 850 people were rescued from the floodwaters, with eight injured. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a news conference on Friday that between 23 and 25 people from a summer camp in Kerr County, north-west of San Antonio, were still missing, though the number had not been confirmed yet. The Christian summer camp for girls was accommodating more than 750 children when the floods struck after heavy rainfall early on Friday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he has issued a disaster declaration due to the severe flooding, calling it "an extraordinary catastrophe".
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said he and his wife Melania were "praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy".
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