It would have been a miraculous tale: Two young girls found clinging to tree branches high off the ground one day after being swept six miles downriver in Texas, where flash flooding left dozens dead and more unaccounted for over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Devastating flash floods from a storm that pounded central Texas have killed at least 51 people. Officials say the death toll is 43 and likely to grow in the hardest-hit area of Kerr County.