24 dead in Texas flash flooding, and search continues for more than 20 missing from camp

At least 20 girls are missing from an all-girls Christian summer camp in South Texas after catastrophic floods struck the area.

The death toll from sudden floods in the Texas Hill Country rose to 24 Friday night, officials said, as the search for more than 20 people missing from a girls summer camp continued through the night.

The water from the flooded Guadalupe River swept into Kerr County and other areas around 4 a.m. Friday after heavy rains, authorities said. Bodies were reported to have been found in cars swept from upstream.

Gov. Greg Abbott called it an “extraordinary catastrophe,” and said that search and rescue missions will continue through the night.

“They will continue in the darkness of night, they will be taking place when the sun rises in the morning. They will be non-stop,” Abbott said at a press conference Friday night.

The missing are from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, which was hosting 750 children this week. Helicopters ferried dozens to safety Friday. Texas Game Wardens said in the evening that they were able to reach the camp with vehicles to bring out others.