The death toll from flooding in the southern US state of Texas is approaching 70 and is expected to rise, authorities there said today, as they continue to search for missing children, the French news agency AFP reports.

Kerr County, the hardest-hit county, has confirmed 59 deaths so far, including 38 adults and 21 children, Sheriff Larry Lethia said at a news conference.

Among the approximately 750 children who attended a girls' summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, 11 children and a counselor are still missing, according to the latest information.

Helped the family, but died himself

Among those who died in the floods, according to the portal ladbible.com, was the father of a 6- and 1-year-old child and husband Julian Ryan, who was in a trailer with his family at the time of the floods. With his brave act, he helped his family escape the floods, but in the process he was so badly injured that he died. According to the portal, he broke a window so that they could climb to the roof and escape, and in the process he ruptured an artery.

His wife, Christinia Wilson, who told KHOU 11 what happened that tragic day, said he later died. Before he died, he had heartbreaking words for his loved ones:  He looked at me, the kids and his mother and said, 'I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love you.' People can now donate money to his family through the portal gofundme.com.