UPDATE - Death toll in Texas flash floods rises to 51

CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE WITH NEW DEATH TOLL

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Number of people killed in flash floods in the US state of Texas rose to 51 late Saturday, according to media reports.

In hardest-hit Kerr County, officials reported 43 deaths, including 28 adults and 15 children. Travis County confirmed four deaths, Kendall and Tom Green counties each reported one, and Burnet County officials announced two deaths, said NBC News.

In Kerr County, 27 children are still missing after floodwaters tore through Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls.

Officials said search and rescue efforts are ongoing in the aftermath of the devastating flooding.

Earlier, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice reported that search and rescue efforts remain the top priority in central Texas, as crews are searching for the missing along the Guadalupe River, according to CNN.

“We’re really focused on life safety.

“Our primary focus is on search and rescue of every single person involved, and we’ll continue through the night to make sure that happens," Rice noted.

The flooding, which has claimed at least 27 lives, began late Thursday and lasted into the early hours of Friday, as heavy rains engulfed the Guadalupe River, pushing it to a crest of more than 39 feet (11.8 meters), surpassing the region's second-largest modern flood in 1987.