At Least 51 Dead, Including 15 Children, as Dozens Remain Missing in Texas Flood Disaster

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Torrential rains send rivers surging, sweeping away homes and leaving families searching for loved ones amid ongoing rescue efforts.

At least 51 people, including 15 children, have died in catastrophic flash flooding that struck central Texas on July 4, leaving a trail of devastation across the region, according to officials.

At least 43 people were killed from the flooding in Kerr County. Six more people died in nearby counties.

Among the missing are 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp, Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said at a press conference on Saturday evening.

โ€œWe are kind of looking at this in two ways called the known missing, which is the 27,โ€ Rice said. โ€œWe will not put a number on the other side because we just donโ€™t know.โ€

Rescue crews have evacuated or rescued more than 850 people so far, including at least eight who sustained injuries, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a Saturday afternoon press conference. First responders are continuing to comb flood-affected areas for those still missing.

Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said the day will be challenging for the community and voiced deep gratitude for the tireless efforts of teams battling the aftermath of the floods.

โ€œPeople need to know, today will be a hard day,โ€ Herring said. โ€œPlease pray for our community.โ€

The flooding struck before dawn on Independence Day, when torrential rain unleashed a wall of water along the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes. Homes, vehicles, and entire stretches of river valley were swept away, leaving families desperate for news of missing loved ones and flooding social media with pleas for information.

Among those still unaccounted for are about two dozen girls from Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp situated along the Guadalupe River near Hunt, a community northwest of San Antonio.

โ€œThe camp was completely destroyed,โ€ said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic. โ€œA helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.โ€

On Friday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick confirmed during a news conference that around two dozen girls remain missing from Camp Mystic out of more than 750 campers who were there. Officials said all individuals at roughly 18 other camps along the river have been accounted for.

Speaking at the Saturday morning press conference, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said that at least one girl from Camp Mystic was confirmed dead and 27 are reported missing.

Rice said that search and rescue operations continued overnight into Saturday, with specialized equipment, including helicopters, trying to identify any heat sources in the flooded area.

โ€œWe did start boots-on-the-ground operations about 8 a.m. this morning, and started about southwest of Hunt, so southwest of Camp Mystic,โ€ he said.

โ€œThese folks will be traveling very difficult terrain up through Ingram, and weโ€™re going to start getting information,โ€ he continued, adding that as crews make their way through the ravaged areas, โ€œthe information is changing constantly, and itโ€™s going to be changing by the minute.โ€

President Donald Trump said that his administration is working with state and local officials to provide assistance, and that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will be โ€œthere shortly.โ€

โ€œMelania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS,โ€ Trump wrote in a July 5 post on Truth Social.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration to expedite aid to affected communities and pledged full state resources to support rescue, recovery, and rebuilding efforts.

โ€œThis is a time when we, as a state, need God more than ever,โ€ Abbott said in a statement, adding that over 1,000 state responders across over 15 state agencies are involved in the disaster response.

By Tom Ozimek

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