
Rescuers on horseback, with dogs search for Texas flood victims
Rescuers in inflatable motorboats also searched Monday for bodies near Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp, where 27 campers and counselors died after being swept away by floodwaters.
Another team collected the children's belongings from flooded cabins marked by mud lines exceeding five feet (1.5 meters) high.
About 30 volunteers on horseback, many wearing cowboy hats, joined mounted police from Austin to support rescue efforts in four towns along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.
Michael Duncan, 55, rode Ranger, his dark brown horse, along the river, supporting rescue efforts that have deployed hundreds of searchers along several miles of the waterway.
'Obviously (on horseback)... we can gain more ground. We can get to some areas where people can't get to as easy,' Duncan told AFP.
The horses easily navigate the hilly terrain, undergrowth and debris left behind after the rain-swollen floodwaters receded.
Perched atop Ranger, Duncan said that the 'height advantage' allowed him to scan across the mounds of debris.
Volunteers on foot also scoured the area, detecting foul odours from undergrowth that could indicate decomposing animals or human remains.
They dug through earth piled near trees, using pointed sticks to probe mounds for any signs of bodies.
During their search, they found children's swimming goggles and a football.
Tom Olson, a rescue dog trainer, deployed his eight-year-old Belgian Malinois, Abby, to assist the search.
Olson, 55, compared the dog's search abilities to a useful tool, 'just like underwater sonar boats, drone, aircraft.'
'The dog will be able to rapidly find a potential victim... lowering the risk to the people that are out here actually trying to do the search and rescue,' he told AFP.
Olson said the work to recover victims' bodies involved 'a mental debt' and 'emotional debt' but was necessary to bring 'closure to the families that lost (people), as well as closure for the rescuers.'
Electric company crews also worked to restore power poles and cables destroyed by the floods as the Guadalupe River receded to its normal course.
Duncan, the mounted volunteer, said the searches filled him with 'a lot of sadness' but added: 'It's also great to see how many people come out... and most everybody is doing this for free.
'That's pretty inspiring to see.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Six killed in stampede at temple in India's Haridwar, ANI reports
At least six people were killed in a stampede after a large crowd gathered at the Mansa Devi temple in the northern Indian city of Haridwar, ANI reported on Sunday, citing Garhwal Division Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey. The chief minister of India's northern state of Uttarakhand posted on X that local police and other rescue teams have reached the spot and are engaged in relief and rescue operations. The injured have been taken to the local hospital, the ANI report added. India has a history of crowd accidents. At least 30 people died at the Maha Kumbh Hindu festival in January as tens of millions gathered to dip in sacred waters. In June, at least 11 people died in crowd chaos outside an Indian cricket stadium.


Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Fifty-four Children Swim from Morocco to Spanish Enclave Ceuta
At least 54 children and about 30 adults swam from Morocco to Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta in rough seas and fog, Spanish television reported on Saturday. Video footage on Spanish television channel RTVE showed Civil Guard launches making repeated rescue attempts to bring some of the swimmers to safety, while others swam across to the enclave. The children, who were mostly Moroccan, were taken to temporary centres in Ceuta, where authorities called for help from the central government in dealing with the latest arrivals, Reuters reported. "Don't leave us alone. This is a matter of state. This has to be resolved," Juan Rivas of the Ceuta regional government told reporters on Saturday. On August 26 last year, hundreds of migrants took advantage of a thick mist to swim to Ceuta from neighboring Morocco, local police said. In 2021, one boy was seen floating on empty plastic bottles in his attempt to reach Ceuta. Spain's two enclaves on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, Ceuta and Melilla, share the European Union's only land borders with Africa. The enclaves sporadically experience waves of attempted crossings by migrants trying to reach Europe. Moroccan nationals detained during the crossings are immediately sent back to Morocco unless they are underage or seeking asylum. People from other nationalities are taken to special centers where they are given shelter and released after a few days. Three years ago, at least 23 people died in a stampede when about 2,000 migrants tried to storm into Melilla, pushing down the border fence.


Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Fifty-four children swim from Morocco to Spanish enclave Ceuta
The children, who were mostly Moroccan, were taken to temporary centers in CeutaOn Aug. 26 last year, hundreds of migrants took advantage of a thick mist to swim to Ceuta from neighboring MoroccoMADRID: At least 54 children and about 30 adults swam from Morocco to Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta in rough seas and fog, Spanish television reported on Saturday. Video footage on Spanish television channel RTVE showed Civil Guard launches making repeated rescue attempts to bring some of the swimmers to safety, while others swam across to the children, who were mostly Moroccan, were taken to temporary centers in Ceuta, where authorities called for help from the central government in dealing with the latest arrivals.'Don't leave us alone. This is a matter of state. This has to be resolved,' Juan Rivas of the Ceuta regional government told reporters on August 26 last year, hundreds of migrants took advantage of a thick mist to swim to Ceuta from neighboring Morocco, local police said. In 2021, one boy was seen floating on empty plastic bottles in his attempt to reach two enclaves on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, Ceuta and Melilla, share the European Union's only land borders with Africa. The enclaves sporadically experience waves of attempted crossings by migrants trying to reach nationals detained during the crossings are immediately sent back to Morocco unless they are underage or seeking from other nationalities are taken to special centers where they are given shelter and released after a few years ago, at least 23 people died in a stampede when about 2,000 migrants tried to storm into Melilla, pushing down the border fence.