Hunt, Texas - Rescuers searched through the night early Sunday for 27 girls missing from a riverside summer camp in Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating floods that killed at least 50 people.

Multiple flash flood warnings remained in place across central Texas after water surged through communities, with the Guadalupe River rising by 26 feet in just 45 minutes.

The Kerr County summer camp where hundreds were staying was left in disarray, with blankets, teddy bears, and other belongings caked in mud.

"We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. Among these who are deceased, we have 28 adults and 15 children," said Larry Leitha, the sheriff of the flood-ravaged region.

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Multiple victims were also found in other counties, bringing the death toll to 50 so far.

There was better news for Congressman August Pfluger, who said Saturday his two young daughters were safely evacuated from Camp Mystic in flooded Kerr County, where the windows of cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water.

"The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors," the Texas Republican wrote on X.

It was unclear if the two girls were among the 27 that authorities said were still missing as of Saturday.

Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem said the US Coast Guard was "punching through storms" to evacuate stranded residents.

"We will fly throughout the night and as long as possible," she said in a post on X.

Texas Department of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said air, ground, and water-based crews were scouring the length of the Guadalupe River for survivors and the bodies of the dead.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said keeping the search going throughout the night was essential as "every hour counts."

On Saturday, Sheriff Leitha said 27 children from Camp Mystic were still missing.

Around 750 girls were attending Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe at the time of the flood.

The owner and director of Camp Mystic was also dead, according to the Kerrville website, as was the manager of another nearby summer camp.

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Elsewhere in Texas, four people were confirmed dead in Travis County, northeast of Kerr, and 13 people were missing, public information office director Hector Nieto told AFP.

A 62-year-old woman's body was found in the city of San Angelo in Tom Green County, along the Concho River, police said.

Two more people died in Burnet County, the area's emergency management coordinator Derek Marchio told AFP, bringing the state-wide death toll to 50.

Noem earlier said Trump wanted to "upgrade the technologies" at the weather service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

"We need to renew this ancient system," Noem told a press conference.

Scientists and disaster management agencies have criticized Trump for cutting funding and staffing at the NOAA, in charge of weather forecasts and preparedness, and the NWS.

When asked about claims that residents were given insufficient warning, Noem said she would "carry your concerns back to the federal government."

Officials and residents alike were shocked by the speed and intensity of the flooding.

"We didn't know this flood was coming," Kerr County official Rob Kelly said Friday.

The rain was "double of what was anticipated," Kerrville city official Dalton Rice said.