Searches continue to locate more than 24 children missing from a girls' summer camp hit by flash floods in Texas - What eyewitnesses say.

The death toll from flash floods in Texas has risen to 59, the French news agency AFP reported today, citing a state official.

The search for more than 24 children missing from a girls' summer camp hit by flash floods in Texas entered its third day on Tuesday as rescuers grappled with the threat of more flooding.

The flooding was caused by torrential rains that hit areas of central Texas on Friday, Independence Day for the US.

Texas Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd said teams were searching the Guadalupe River by air, land and water for survivors or dead.

We will continue the search until all the missing persons are located, he stressed.

For his part, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared the state a state of natural disaster and requested additional resources from the US federal government.

Biblical disaster images

The water reached tree height, about 10 meters or more, said Gerardo Martinez, a resident of the area. The river is carrying away cars, entire houses, he added.

According to authorities, the Guadalupe River rose nearly 8 meters on Friday in about 45 minutes, during which nearly 300 millimeters of rain fell per hour, a third of the average annual rainfall in the county.