Devastation: Damage caused by floods to the structures at the Albert Pike Campground in Caddo GapAt least 16 people - including children - have been killed after raging floods tore through a campsite packed with holidaymakers.
Concrete was ripped from roads and bark stripped from trees as heavy rain caused riverbanks to burst, carrying away tents and overturning vehicles with the 'force of a strong tornado'.
At least 24 holidaymakers have been taken to hospital and 60 have been rescued after floodwaters rising up to 16ft an hour poured through the Albert Pike Recreation Area, a 54-unit site in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas.
Flash floods: A convenience store under water after the Caddo River in Glenwood, Arkansas, burst its banks Dozens of people are still missing or feared dead. The forest, known for its gorges and scenic views, is popular with hikers and families and sprawls over 1.8 million acres of western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma.
Cabins dotting the normally quiet Caddo and Little Missouri rivers - which rose up to 20ft - were severely damaged and mobile homes lay on their sides in the destruction on Thursday night.
After the water receded, anguished relatives pleaded with emergency workers for help in finding missing loved ones as cars were found piled on top of each other and bodies were floating in the water.
State police have identified 14 of the 16 bodies recovered.
Up to 300 people are believed to be in the area 75 miles west of Little Rock when the flood swept through.
The entrance to the Arrowhead Cabin & Canoe Rental in Caddo Gap. At least 16 people were killed in the floods 
Force: Concrete ripped away from roads and a truck damaged by flooding as it tore through the campsiteAccording TV station KTBS, a local man and his two young children are the dead.
They were named by friends in Shreveport as Joey Smith, five, his sister Caitlin, two, and their father Anthony.
Another family from Shreveport - Shane Basinger and his children Jadyn, eight, and Kinsley, six, - are also reported missing.
Arkansas governor Mike Beebe said damage at the campground was comparable to that caused by a strong tornado.
The force of the water carried one body eight miles downstream.
Camper Crystel Hofer, who was asleep in her cabin, told ABC News: 'About 2am we started hearing children and women screaming and crying, so we went to the door and opened the door and they were trying to come up the hill to where our cabin was to escape the rising water.
Aerial view: The Albert Pike Campgrounds on the Little Missouri River after the devastating flood
Search: Governor Mike Beebe talks to Adam Jez, 26, whose wife, son and mother-in-law are missing'If they didn't get out of their camper within five, ten minutes, they weren't getting out.'
Denise Gaines, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, escaped after she was woken in her riverfront cabin by a noise that sounded like fluttering wings.
She saw water rushing under the cabin door. ‘I thought it must have been an angel that woke me up,’ she said.
The American Red Cross moved survivors to a temporary shelter in a church in a town called Lodi, south of the forest.
U.S. President Barack Obama ordered federal emergency officials to be on call to help state authorities if needed.
Trees were ripped from their roots after the Caddo River rose an estimated 20ft
Torrent: Cabins dotting the normally quiet Caddo Missouri river were severely damaged In a statement he said: 'Michelle and I would like to extend heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives during this horrible flash flood, and we offer our prayers for those who anxiously await news of loved ones still missing.'
A major search operation involved helicopters, horses, canoes and kayaks was called off at nightfall yesterday and was set to resume this morning.
Gary Fox, a retired emergency medical technician who was helping identify the dead and compile lists of those unaccounted for, said: ‘This is not a one- or two-day thing.
‘This is going to be a week or two or three-week recovery.’
The heavily wooded region offers a mix of campsites, hunting grounds and private homes.
Forest Service spokesman John Nichols said it would have been impossible to warn everyone that the flood was coming.
The area has a spotty mobile phone service and no sirens.
source: dailymail