Washington, 8 July 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The death toll in Texas from severe flooding has risen to more than 100, US media reported on Monday evening.

In Kerr County, which saw the worst of Friday's flash floods, authorities confirmed 84 people have died, including 28 children, many of them at a Christian summer camp for girls.

Emergency services are continuing to search for missing people, but hopes of finding more survivors are dimming, US media reported. In addition, operations being hampered by ongoing rain, flooding and power outages in some areas.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote to the inspector general at the Commerce Department demanding an investigation into the shortfalls amid reports of understaffing at local National Weather Service (NWS) offices and of several key positions being unfilled.

Over the weekend the New York Times, citing a union official, reported that the nearby NWS office in San Antonio lacked a senior hydrologist, staff forecaster and meteorologist.

It also reported that officials were concerned about the flood risk but rejected installing a warning system, saying it was too costly.

The catastrophe at the Camp Mystic summer camp has captured the nation's attention, with at lest 27 children and counsellors killed and others still missing.

The camp, a private Christian site founded in 1926, was accommodating more than 750 children when the floods struck after heavy rainfall.

"Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly," the camp said in a statement.

"We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls," the statement added.

The heavy flooding on Friday morning took many people by surprise, as holidaymakers camped out in rural areas by rivers over the July 4 long weekend.

Local officials say more than 850 people were rescued unharmed from the area near the summer camp, while eight people were injured. Some people climbed trees to save themselves from being swept away by the floods, state authorities said.

Photo: EPA