More than 850 people had been rescued by Saturday, yet scores remain missing with families asking for information

Reports are beginning to emerge of extraordinary stories of survival from the Texas Hill Country floods, even as the official death toll continued mounting, reaching at least 27 on Saturday.

A young woman was dramatically rescued after she was carried 12 miles down the Guadalupe River by raging flood waters, and later pictured clinging to branches of a tree. The woman – who has not been identified publicly – was rescued, News 4 San Antonio reported.

Two dozen girls still unaccounted for after summer camps swept away as Guadalupe River rises 26ft in 45 minutes

Rescuers by Saturday had begun the grim task of recovering the bodies of children who were swept away in a deadly flash flood in Texas, caused by a powerful storm that killed dozens of people.

The exact number of missing people was not immediately known, but 24 of them were girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River. Torrential rain caused the river to rise 26ft (8 meters) in just 45 minutes before dawn on Friday, washing away homes and vehicles.