Seher Asaf
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Search and rescue operations are continuing, two days after flash floods tore through part of Texas late on Thursday and into the early hours of Friday.

A local sheriff in Kerr County has said 68 people have died in the area, including 28 children. Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed at least another 10 deaths in other counties.

Rescue efforts have focused on Kerr County's Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls on the banks of the Guadalupe River. Authorities say 10 children and one counsellor are still missing.

“I lost everything I own,” one survivor in the hard-hit city of Kerrville tells the BBC's Angélica Casas.

Meanwhile, officials have been facing questions about the early warning systems - and why people hadn't been evacuated ahead of the floods. City Manager Dalton Rice said that concerns would be addressed at an "appropriate time".

Abbott has also warned that more storms could be expected in the next 24-48 hours in central Texas.

We're beginning to see the full weight of the devastating floods as volunteers and search personnel are combing through debris, and families await news of missing loved ones.

We're closing our live page now, if you want to find out more, read our main news story.

Angélica Casas
reporting from Kerville

Rick McRae has lived in Kerrville for more than four decades and knows most of the locals.

“One of my daughter’s friends lost her daughter at Camp Mystic,” he told us. “It’s very traumatising as a local or anybody else to realise how many people have been taken.”

We met him as he drove his utility tractor down a hill towards the Guadalupe River to try and clear the debris for rescue crews to get through.

He’s one of dozens of volunteers we’ve run into who are clearing debris, searching for the missing or bringing donations and meals to first responders.

At one point along the road running parallel to the river, we saw more volunteers than officials.

“Everybody is here helping,” McRae said. “I’m glad to see that.”

Image source, Reuters

As we continue to bring you updates on the search and rescue operation in Texas, we'll be sharing stories of some of the victims confirmed so far.

Julian Ryan had reportedly just finished a late dishwashing shift when the Guadalupe River overflowed early on Friday.

Soon after, he and his fiancée Christina Wilson woke to ankle-deep water that quickly rose to their waists.

Christina told a US news network that her fiancé had punched through a window to get his family out, severely cutting his arm in the process.

As floodwaters tore through their trailer in Ingram, Ryan was lost in the flood as a result of his injuries.

The couple's 13-month-old and six-year-old sons and Christina survived by floating on a mattress until help could arrive.

"He died a hero, and that will never go unnoticed," Connie Salas, Ryan's sister, told the US network.

Kerrville residents speak about their experiences of the flash floods. For some, the search mission continues.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

US President Donald Trump says he hopes to visit Texas "probably on Friday".

Speaking before returning to Washington from Bedminster, he told reporters "we want to leave a little time. I would have done it today, but would just be in their way".

"So we say God bless all the people that have gone through so much and God bless the state of Texas. It’s an incredible place."

He stressed his administration is working "very closely" with Texas officials, noting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is currently in the state.

Asked whether he will push ahead with his plans to "phase out" the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), Trump added: "Fema is something we can talk about later but right now they’re busy working."

Recap: Deadly flash floods caused by severe thunderstormspublished at 23:01 British Summer Time 6 July

23:01 BST 6 July

Chris Fawkes
BBC Weather presenter

Image source, Getty Images

The deadly flash floods in Texas have been caused by severe thunderstorms, fed by tropical moisture from the Gulf.

These storms became slow-moving, concentrating huge amounts of rain in a relatively small area.

While large parts of Texas recorded about two inches (50mm) of rain, the wettest areas recorded a torrential deluge of 14.98 inches (380mm) that led to catastrophic flash flooding as rivers burst their banks rapidly.

Angélica Casas
reporting from Kerville

Image source, Angélica Casas/BBC

The two-lane highway that runs alongside the Guadalupe River and ultimately connects Kerrville to Camp Mystic is full of devastation every way you turn.

Ravaged homes are surrounded by fallen trees and furniture on lawns. Fences are turned over and utility lines are completely down in some areas. Piles of debris are growing as volunteers help clear the rubble.

Alma Garcia drove in from San Antonio to deliver home cooked meals to residents and volunteers helping with the clean up effort.

We met her pulled over on the side of the road as she took off a top layer t-shirt she was wearing to give to a resident.

“She was all wet, I told her she’s going to need it,” Garcia tells us. "The destruction is more than we thought it was going to be.”

Image source, Angélica Casas/BBC

We've just heard from Texas Governor Gregg Abbott in Austin and officials in Kerr County - one of the areas most affected by the flash floods - who gave an update on the situation in Texas.

Here are the key lines:

• Abbott says they're expecting more storms in next 24-48 hours in central Texas
• He confirms 10 deaths in central Texas and adds that 41 people are known to be missing across all areas affected by the flooding in the state
• He urges those with relatives or friends who they think are missing to contact local officials and let them know the names and other details

• Recovery operations involving debris clean up have begun, Emergency Management Chief W Nim Kidd says. He also stresses that this does not mean the search for victims has stopped
• At a separate presser, Kerrville County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirms that the death toll has increased to 68 in the area
• Ten Camp Mystic children and one counsellor are still unaccounted, he adds

Iona Hampson
Reporting from Kerr County

Our phones continue to send us warning notifications about potential flash floods in the area.

We have moved to high ground and some rescue workers have gone back down near the river where we were to help with rescue and recovery efforts as the wall of water threat has moved elsewhere.

The roar of rescue helicopters in the sky has been replaced by roars of thunder.

The heavy rain has returned to the Hill Country after a few hours of sun, the weather continues to change dramatically as it does in this part of the world.

Along with 10 still missing at Camp Mystic, authorities are still figuring out the unknown number of holiday makers who are unaccounted for.

Everyone here expects the numbers of those who have died to rise in the coming hours and days.

As we've been reporting, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice has repeatedly been asked why people hadn't been evacuated ahead of the floods.

Concerns have been raised about a lack of alerts after a top official in Kerr County said they didn't know the flood was coming and that "we do not have a warning system".

Questions about the early warning system - which plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the public during extreme weather events - come amid Trump administration’s budget cuts to NOAA - the government agency that operates the country’s National Weather Service.

Officials are now answering questions, and Rice is asked again about emergency alerts that residents did not get when the flooding started.

He says he doesn't want to speculate though he understands there's lots of question around it.

We want to continue focusing on families, he says.

The press conference then concludes.

Leitha is now offering updates for local residents. He says Highway 39 is closed.

But he notes that the missing persons phone line remains open.

City Manager Dalton Rice is offering updates as well.

He says he knows questions are being asked about emergency notification of the floods.

He says officials are committed to full a review at the appropriate time, to strengthen the city's preparedness system.

Leitha says search and rescue operations are continuing.

He says there have been 68 deaths in Kerr County, including 40 adults and 28 children.

Eighteen adults and 10 children are pending identification.

He says there 10 Camp Mystic children unaccounted for and one counsellor

Sheriff Larry Leitha starts off mentioning flood warnings sent to people on their phones.

He says they've confirmed one of the warnings is incorrect, other one is being checked.

We're now moving to Kerr County, where officials are also providing an update on the search and rescue operations in the area.

Stay with as we we'll bring you the key lines on this page.

Abbott is asked about warning systems in light of the number of camps in the area.

He says it is something that will be looked at.

Some camps go back 100 years he says and are familiar with the area and have their own ways to deal with warnings.

But, he adds, there needs to be an evaluation into what they know, how they respond and what they need.

The press conference has now concluded.

Abbott is asked about what his perspective is on the possible staffing issues at the National Weather Service and its impact on the issuance of warnings.

The governor says he doesn't know anything about the staffing, but what he does know is that the weather service has put out information that the state was operating off.

He says there were alerts and warnings about heavy rain and potential for flash flooding in certain areas.

He says the issue is that for most people in the area, flash flooding would mean one thing and not what it turned out to be because they deal with flash floods all the time.

He says officials knew where rain might fall, but it was difficult to predict how much.

Chief Kidd says that from a technology perspective there are different warning systems, some of which people can sign up to, but there are also areas where there's no coverage.

Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent, in Kerr County

As we continue to bring you the top lines from Greg Abbott and other Texas officials in Austin, we've just received an update from our chief North America correspondent from Kerr County.

The situation near Camp Mystic is developing fast.

There was torrential rain early in the morning, but then it appeared to clear up and the rescue workers were back at their work.

All of a sudden as we drove along the road the police put up a new cordon and told all vehicles, including the utility vehicles, to turn around and head back east.

We followed the instructions and came across another police cord where they warned us that a wall of water was heading down the river, and we were told to move to a higher ground.

We will remain here until we know it is safe, a flood alert has just come onto our phones.

Governor Abbott now explains that Kerr county is the only county currently under a federal disaster declaration.

But a number of other counties are subject to state disaster declaration and are receiving additional resources, he says.

Chief Kidd is asked about the additional wall of water he mentioned earlier.

He says more rain is coming, but it's not going to be the same amount as Friday.

He adds that the ground is saturated so any more water regardless of amount can cause issues.