Death Toll in Texas Flood Rises to at Least 24, With as Many as 25 Missing

Severe flooding in central Texas has killing at least 24 people and leaving as many as 25 girls missing from the camp, and the death toll is expected to rise as more rain flows though the hard-hit region Friday night.

Searches were underway and officials scrambled to rescue people from floodwaters on the Fourth of July after heavy rain deluged central Texas, overwhelming the Guadalupe River and prompting multiple flash flood warnings and emergencies.

The search for those swept up in floodwaters in central Texas will continue throughout the night as state and local officials “remain in a search and rescue posture,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday.

“They will continue in the darkness of night. They will be taking place when the sun rises in the morning. They will be nonstop, seeking to find everybody who is unaccounted for,” he said.

A source close to the search claimed that first responder helicopters with infrared equipment will be flying overnight in an effort to find any possible rescue victims.