Texas floods: Nearly 80 dead, hope of finding survivors fades

The death toll from flooding in Texas, in the southern United States, is now approaching 80 and is set to rise further, local authorities announced on Sunday, as hopes of finding a dozen children still missing fade.

Donald Trump announced that he would "probably" visit the area on Friday. "It's a catastrophe like nothing we've seen in 100 years and it's just appalling to see what's happening," he told reporters from New Jersey before boarding his plane back to Washington.

The US president also denied any link between budget cuts to the National Weather Service and the heavy death toll. "I don't think so," he said when asked about the usefulness of rehiring some of the laid-off staff. Residents complained over the weekend that they were not warned early enough about the risk of flooding that left nearly 80 people dead.

Kerr County alone, the hardest hit, now has 68 dead, "40 adults and 28 children," county Sheriff Larry Lethia said at a news conference. Among the approximately 750 children attending a Christian summer camp for girls on the banks of the Guadalupe River, 10 girls remained unaccounted for, as did a counselor, the sheriff said.

In addition to the deaths in the county, there were 10 deaths in neighboring counties, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced at a press conference. "Across the state, in areas affected by the flooding, we have identified 41 people as missing," he said, adding that the actual number was likely higher because many vacationers were camping in the area over the long weekend.

"We're going to see the death toll rise today and tomorrow," as more bodies are found, warned Texas Public Safety Director Colonel Freeman Martin.

The flash floods were triggered by torrential rains in the central part of the state early Friday, Independence Day, which caused the Guadalupe River to rise eight meters in just 45 minutes. Nearly 300 millimeters of rain fell per hour, a third of the average annual rainfall.

Donald Trump, who dispatched his Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, to the area on Saturday, signed a disaster declaration to provide Texas with federal government resources.

"There are currently over 400 rescuers from more than 20 agencies deployed in the county," said Sheriff Lethia. Helicopters and drones are involved in the search, and the Texas National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard have sent reinforcements.

U.S. Pope Leo XIV expressed his "sincere condolences to all the families who lost loved ones, especially their daughters who were at summer camp during the tragedy," in a statement in English after the Angelus prayer.

The weather service maintained its flood warning until 7 p.m. local time on Sunday. Flash floods, caused by torrential rains that the dried-out ground cannot absorb, are not uncommon. But according to the scientific community , human-induced climate change has made weather events such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves more frequent and intense.