Heavy rains fell quickly in the predawn hours of Friday in the Texas Hill Country, causing the Gaudalupe River to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes.

Local officials warned the number of dead will likely rise and were due to give an update on Sunday morning, as search and rescue teams raced to find 27 girls missing from a camp near the Guadalupe River,

Rescuers were searching for more than two dozen girls missing from a summer camp in Texas after a catastrophic flash flood killed at least 43 people, 15 of them children. The Guadalupe River that runs through the Hill Country in central south Texas rose by 26ft (8 metres) in just 45 minutes in the early hours of Friday,

Houston and Texas businesses and organizations are accepting donations to help people affected by the Fourth of July floods along the Guadalupe River.

Follow along for developments on the July Fourth floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County and Central Texas.

The Guadalupe River flooded early July 4 as heavy rains prompted all in the area to evacuate. Additionally, emergency responders are frantically searching