At least 32 dead and 27 girls missing from a summer camp due to massive flooding in Texas.
Emergency teams have rescued more than 850 people and eight are injured.
BarcelonaThe sudden rise of the Guadalupe River in central and southern Texas, in the United States, has caused massive flooding that has left at least 32 people dead, according to the latest, still preliminary, report from local authorities. Meanwhile, emergency teams continue their intensive investigation because dozens of people are still missing, including 27 girls who were attending a summer camp.
Larry Leitha Jr., the sheriff of Kerr County, one of the hardest hit counties, reported in a press conference Saturday night that the dead include 18 adults and 14 minors. He also detailed that eight people were injured and that emergency teams rescued more than 850 people from areas near the river, which overflowed its banks due to the heavy rains that have affected the area since Thursday night and are expected to continue until Sunday morning.
Dalton Rice, the city manager for Kerrville, the county's main town, said that aside from the 27 girls at the camp, it's unclear how many others are still missing. Because Friday, July 4, was a U.S. holiday, many people had come to the area to camp near the river. "Information will change every minute," Rice warned. "Today is going to be a tough day," added Joe Herring, the town's mayor.
The initial count was 24 dead, but Leitha said at a news conference Friday night that the death toll was likely higher. Flooding has knocked out power and phone service in some areas and made some roads impassable, hampering rescue efforts.
The missing girls were staying at Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian camp in the town of Hunt that housed a total of 750 girls. Camp directors had to request emergency air assistance from authorities due to the rising river and reported that many participants had not been located and that some cabins at the camp had been flooded and possibly swept away. Among the dead was one of the camp girls, a 9-year-old girl.
"The camp is totally destroyed," 13-year-old Elinor Lester, who was staying at Camp Mystic, told the Associated Press. "A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary," she said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has described the flooding as an "extraordinary catastrophe" and signed an emergency declaration giving rescue teams access to all necessary resources. The Texas Division of Emergency Management and other agencies have deployed 14 helicopters, 12 drones, and 1,000 rescue personnel. And Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has activated the U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help search for the missing.
President Donald Trump assured that the federal government is working in coordination with local and state authorities and said that Noem will travel to the affected area. "Melania and I are praying for all the families affected by this horrible tragedy," he wrote on Truth Social, where he applauded the work of the rescue teams.
Flash and extreme flooding
The U.S. Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency in several locations in Kerr County, about 100 kilometers northwest of San Antonio, Thursday night. That night, more than 300 liters per square meter of rainfall accumulated in the Hunt area, where Camp Mystic is located, and the Guadalupe River rose 8 meters in just 45 minutes, sweeping away homes and vehicles.
State emergency management officials had warned Thursday that West and Central Texas would experience heavy rains and threats of flash flooding in the coming days, citing forecasts from the Federal Weather Service. But as the hours pass, voices grow louder, warning that the camp and others in the area did not receive adequate warning or make the necessary preparations to prevent the tragedy. Texas Division of Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd issued an explanation Friday night that the weather forecasts in question "did not predict the amount of rain" that actually fell.
The situation reminds residents of this area, which is accustomed to flooding, of a similar tragedy in July 1987, when ten teenagers died at a Christian camp in the town of Comfort, which also suffered significant damage this time.
The danger is not over yet, as intermittent rain and storms are expected to continue until Sunday morning, and flooding is forecast downriver through Saturday night in the area from Comfort to Spring Branch.