Texas flash floods kill at least 24 people, 23 girl campers missing
Rescue crews rushed to help dozens of victims who were stranded by high water or reported missing in the tragedy after torrential rains caused flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas, killing at least 24 people, according to local officials.
Authorities reported that 23 to 25 individuals who were classified as unaccounted for at a Christian summer camp exclusively for girls situated on the banks of the rain-soaked Guadalupe were among the missing.
Following intense rainfall of up to 300mm (12 inches), the US National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for portions of Kerr County, which is in the south-central Texas Hill Country, roughly 105km (65 miles) northwest of San Antonio.
The county seat of Kerville’s city manager, Dalton Rice, informed reporters that authorities were unable to issue any evacuation orders because of the severe flooding that occurred before morning with little to no warning.
Between six and ten bodies have been discovered thus far in the desperate hunt for victims, according to Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick earlier in the day. Sheriff Leitha stated that 13 people had died as a result of the flooding during a press conference that coincided with Patrick’s update.
Patrick said 23 girls were listed as unaccounted for among more than 700 children who were at the summer camp when it was swept by floodwaters at about 4am local time (09:00 GMT).
“That does not mean they’ve been lost; they could be in a tree, they could be out of communication,” he said.
Emergency personnel kept looking for people who were missing as teams performed dozens of rescues.
I’m pleading with the people of Texas to pray fervently this afternoon. “I’m kind of praying on my knees that we find these young girls,” Patrick remarked.
He claimed that despite the region being inundated by severe downpours, the Guadalupe River surged 8 meters (26 feet) in 45 minutes. In addition to hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground doing tree and swift-moving river rescues, search teams were soaring over the area in 14 helicopters and 12 drones.
“It’s terrible, the floods,” US President Donald Trump told reporters Friday night. “It’s shocking.”
Source: Al Jazeera and other media outlets
