Everything we know so far as at least 82 people killed in catastrophic Texas floods

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Everything we know so far as at least 82 people killed in catastrophic Texas floods

At least 82 are dead and others are still missing

At least 82 people have died in flash floods in Texas, while many others are still missing after the US state was struck by the disaster on Friday (4 July).

Officials have said they expect the death toll to rise as search efforts continue.

Torrential rain caused the Guadalupe River to rise rapidly, resulting in serious floods which have resulted in a loss of life and property.

Among those recovered from the affected areas is a woman who was swept away and only survived by clinging to a tree, having dodged cars and other objects that the floodwater was carrying.

She was able to shelter in the tree for several hours and shout for help, with rescuers describing her survival as a 'true miracle'.

Others who lost their lives include Kerr County man Julian Ryan, 27, who saved his family's lives by breaking a window so they could escape to the roof of their trailer as it filled up with water, but he severed an artery in doing so and died of blood loss.

One of the areas worst affected is Camp Mystic, a summer camp for children (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
One of the areas worst affected is Camp Mystic, a summer camp for children (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

The Texas floods

The floods started in the early hours of 4 July, with weather services in Texas sending out warnings that flash floods were imminent.

According to officials, the Guadalupe River rose by as much as 26ft in some places, with the floodwater sweeping away houses in the area and leaving behind little beyond the foundations.

Authorities in the Texas city of Kerrville warned people that they needed to move to higher ground as soon as possible, while throughout the day rescue teams were deployed to help people get out of the path of the floods.

One of the most affected areas is a place called Camp Mystic in Kerr County, which is a Christian summer camp for girls located on the Guadalupe River.

At least 27 people have died at the camp, while more bodies have been found across the Hill Country area which has several children's summer camps.

The floods were caused after the Guadalupe River rose rapidly on the morning of 4 July (Eric Vryn/Getty Images)
The floods were caused after the Guadalupe River rose rapidly on the morning of 4 July (Eric Vryn/Getty Images)

At least 82 dead

At present the death toll in Texas from the floods is 82, though that figure is expected to rise as rescue and recovery efforts continue to find more bodies.

68 of them, 28 of which were children, died in Kerr County, with another six dead in Travis County, three in Burnet County, two in Williamson County, two in Kendall County and one in Tom Green County.

Some of the bodies are yet to be formally identified.

While hundreds of people were evacuated in the first 36 hours after the disaster there are fears that the number of people affected by the floods may be higher because the area that was struck was a popular site for campers on Independence Day.

As such it's very difficult to know exactly how many people were missing.

"We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time," Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said on 5 July.

At least 82 people are dead and 41 are missing, the death toll is expected to rise (Eric Vryn/Getty Images)
At least 82 people are dead and 41 are missing, the death toll is expected to rise (Eric Vryn/Getty Images)

Search efforts for the missing

Texas governor Greg Abbott said that there were 41 people unaccounted for across the US state and there could be others who were also missing.

Among the missing are 10 girls and a counsellor from Camp Mystic.

Search efforts involving helicopters, boats and swimmers have been recovering people who were trapped by the floods.

Officials have said that some of the people missing may not be trapped or have their whereabouts unknown, but might have been safely recovered from the floods without a way to contact their loved ones.

Rescue efforts are likely to be hampered as further heavy rain is forecasted which may cause more flooding or disrupt the response to the disaster.

Featured Image Credit: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

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