Texas floods miracle as two missing girls 'found alive clinging to 30ft tree'

Two girls who were missing after the devastating floods in Texas have been miraculously found alive, clinging from a tree nearly 30ft high, according to reports.

Multiple sources claimed the children were rescued between Comfort and Homillus Road in Center Point. Witnesses said the girls were found during ongoing search operations - and four bodies were also recovered in the area, The Kerr County Lead reports.

The rescue represents a rare moment of hope after Kerr County authorities confirmed at least 59 deaths as of Sunday and said they had no way to total the number of missing across the county, the hardest-hit by the floods. Among Kerr County's confirmed dead are at least 21 children. They included missing children from Camp Mystic, a riverside Christian camp for girls in Hunt, Texas.

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The camp was "completely destroyed" according to 13-year-old Elinor Lester, one of those who was rescued from the site. She said: "The camp was completely destroyed. A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary."

The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26ft (8m) in only 45 minutes before daybreak on Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as flash flood watches remained in effect and more rain fell in central Texas on Sunday.

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County today, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas. "These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing," Trump posted on social media.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state. "I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday - for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,” he said in a statement.

In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for those touched by the disaster. History's first American pope spoke in English at the end of his Sunday noon blessing, saying: "I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them."