Texas floods death toll nears 90 as search and rescue operation continues

At least 56 adults and 30 children have been killed in Kerr County, Sheriff Larry Leitha said, with more than two dozen victims yet to be identified.

The death toll in Kerr County crept up to 87 on Tuesday as search and rescue efforts continued in flood-ravaged central Texas, according to officials in the county worst hit by the disaster, which has killed more than 100 people.

Rescue teams from neighboring states and Mexico have joined local efforts to search for survivors, which have been hindered by thunderstorms. (AFP)

Torrential rains before dawn on Friday deluged the Guadalupe River, which burst its banks and killed dozens of people, leaving behind mangled piles of debris, trees and cars. At least 56 adults and 30 children have been killed in Kerr County, Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a press conference, with more than two dozen victims yet to be identified. Authorities have not determined if the 87th victim was an adult or child.

Some of the victims were spending their summer at Camp Mystic near the river's banks, and five children and one camp counsellor were still unaccounted for on Tuesday. Local officials have faced angry questions about whether they could have warned people of dangerous flash floods in Texas Hill Country sooner.

Rescue teams from neighboring states and Mexico have joined local efforts to search for survivors, which have been hindered by thunderstorms. "The work is extremely treacherous, time-consuming," Lieutenant Colonel Ben Baker of the Texas Game Wardens said at the press conference. "It's dirty work. The water is still there."

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to visit the devastated region this week, a spokesperson said.