Flash floods in Texas have killed nearly 90 people, many of them children. Heavy rains fell quickly in the predawn hours Friday in the Texas Hill Country, causing the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes.

Kerrville, Texas was hit especially hard by flash flooding after heavy rain swelled two forks of the Guadalupe River, according to officials. Residents told CNN affiliate KSAT how the flood caught them by surprise and destroyed their homes.

At least 27 people have died and more than 20 children are missing after a catastrophic flash flood in Texas. The Guadalupe River that runs through Hill Country in central south Texas rose by 26ft (8 metres) in just 45 minutes in the early hours of Friday,