Latest toll shows 15 children among 50 dead in Texas flooding
The US state's Kerr County was worst affected with 43 deaths followed by Travis County where four people died, according to an AFP tally of figures provided by local officials. Two people died in Burnet County while another died in Tom Green County.
Rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees and turned over rocks in the search for more than two dozen children from a girls' camp and many others missing after a wall of water blasted down a river in the Texas Hill Country.
Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued.
The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (eight metres) in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles.
The danger was not over as torrential rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.
People climb over debris on a bridge atop the Guadalupe River.
Julio Cortez / AP
Julio Cortez / AP / AP
Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.
'We will not stop until we find everyone who is missing,' Nim Kidd, chief of Texas Department of Emergency Management, said at a press conference on Saturday afternoon.
In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night Friday.
Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son.
She outlined what happened:
My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them.
Authorities were coming under growing scrutiny Saturday over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.
The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors.
The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.
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'We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time,' said City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday morning.
Some 27 children were among the missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river, he said.
'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.'
A raging storm fuelled by incredible amounts of moisture woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said.
Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information.
On Saturday, the camp was mostly deserted.
Helicopters roared above as a few people looked at the damage, including a pickup vehicle tossed onto its side and a building missing its entire front wall.
Weather warnings
The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise in the Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio.
AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation.
'These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,' AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the US because of its terrain and many water crossings.
Officials defended their actions while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area.
One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week 'did not predict the amount of rain that we saw', said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
One reunification centre at an elementary school was mostly quiet Saturday after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before.
People reunited at a community centre after flooding in Texas.
Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
'We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We've had a little success, but not much,' said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was travelling to Texas and his administration was working with officials on the ground.
'Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy,' Mr Trump said in a statement on his social media network.
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The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Haunting pics of empty Camp Mystic bunkbeds after 27 girls & counselors killed in horror Texas floods & 11 still missing
HORRIFYING pictures show the aftermath of the Texas floods at Camp Mystic, where dozens of girls and counselors died after being swept away by the rising waters. At least Advertisement 14 One of the hardest hit spots was Camp Mystic - a girls' summer camp where 27 students and counselors were killed Credit: AFP 14 Campee's belongings lie on the ground at Camp Mystic Credit: Reuters 14 A search and rescue volunteer holds a T-shirt and backpack with the words Camp Mystic on them Credit: Getty 14 Homes were destroyed by flash flooding that blew through Kerr County, Texas, throughout the July 4 weekend Credit: AFP 14 Little Sarah Marsh was one of the girls killed by the rising tides Credit: Facebook 14 Ella Cahill is one of the girls who remains missing Credit: FOX4 One of the worst-hit areas was Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp located dangerously close to the flooding shores, which was overwhelmed when the river rose 26 feet in 45 minutes. Ten girls and a counselor attending the camp are still missing. They make up a heart-wrenching portion of the 41 people who are unaccounted for across the state. What we know so far... Torrential rain sparked At least Five million Texans are Families of some Camp Mystic girls have A woman was rescued after being washed 20 miles downstream Two brothers told of their The victims include the niece of the Kansas City Chiefs' owners, a dad who died while read more on the floods Chilling photos of the flooding aftermath at the camp show piles of abandoned sleeping bags strewn across the cabins. Advertisement Bunkbeds were left askew by the rushing waters, and everything inside the buildings was covered with layers of mud and sediment. Survivors of the tragedy have started to open up about the chaotic mission to escape the waters after being surprised by the flash floods early Friday morning. Glenn Juenke, a security guard at the camp, said that he had to throw girls on top of floating mattresses to save them from drowning. Most read in The US Sun Exclusive Exclusive But despite witnessing the death and destruction, he said he was struck by the "courage and faith" shown by the young girls. Advertisement "Each of those sweet girls [were] cold, wet, and frightened - but they were also incredibly brave," he told Camp Mystic director's tragic final act to save girls from Texas floods as wall of water tore through cabins killing 27 "They trusted me, and we leaned on each other through a long, harrowing night together inside their cabin." The camp's director was among those who lost their lives after desperately trying to save young girls in a heartbreaking final act. Dick Eastland and his wife, Tweety, were the third-generation of their family to manage the camp, having bought it in 1974. Advertisement Eastland's grandson, George, revealed his grandpa had died when the water crashed through the walls of the cabins. 'If he wasn't going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way—saving the girls that he so loved and cared for,' he wrote on 'That's the kind of man my grandfather was. He was a husband, father, grandfather, and a mentor to thousands of young women. 'Although he no longer walks this earth, his impact will never fade in the lives he touched.' Advertisement Eastland, who had previously fought brain cancer, was found dead near his car, as reported by the Tweety, meanwhile, was found safe at the family home. Paige Sumner, a family friend, has led the tributes to the camp director. She said the girls at the camp looked up to Eastland as if he was a 'father figure,' in an op-ed to the Advertisement 'Dick and Tweety were also role models in their loving relationship,' she penned. 'When we looked at them, they were still that much in love.' 14 14 Belongings were strewn along the ground and covered in mud after the flooding Credit: AFP Advertisement 14 Items from inside a cabin sit on the ground at Camp Mystic, in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Sergio Flores Credit: Reuters 14 Chairs lie inside a damaged room in a cabin at Camp Mystic in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Sergio Flores Credit: Reuters 14 Items from inside a cabin sit on the ground at Camp Mystic Credit: Reuters 14 Rescue teams cut through the debris in the desperate search for survivors Credit: Getty Advertisement Callie McAlary, a 16-year-old camper, described the terrifying moment she realized that this wasn't a normal thunderstorm. "One minute you see lightning strike next to your cabin, and next to you, you hear water's coming up," she told Callie said that she watched in horror as girls rushed across the campgrounds to try to get into cabins that weren't being filled with water. "It was really bad thunder," she said. Advertisement "We heard one of the campers run in and say, 'Hey, our cabin is flooding.' "I knew some girls slept on trunks that night, some girls had to share beds, some girls slept on floors because they couldn't go back to their cabin because it was so flooded in three cabins." As the water rose in the middle of the night, Callie said she decided to put a name tag on her body in case her cabin was "next." "In my head I was saying, 'If something does happen, and I do get swept away, at least I'll have my name on my body.'" Advertisement Callie's family is from Texas, but they now live in Virginia. Her parents said that they wanted to send her to Camp Mystic so she could stay in touch with her roots. Tara Bradburn, Callie's mother, said that she was overwhelmed by how much the staff did to try and protect the girls. "What the men and the staff and the Eastland family did to try and help everyone that they could - they are heroes," she told Fox News. Advertisement "And those young girls and those young counselors that our young girls were under for the summer were remarkable and were brave and were strong and saved so many children." As of Monday afternoon, five million were still under flood warnings in Texas with fears 10 inches of rain could fall in some parts of the state. Governor Greg Abbott said officiala aren't expecting anything "to the magnitude of what was seen in Kerrville" but said there's still a threat of more flash flooding events. Slow-moving showers are creeping across the region with warnings expected to stay active into Monday evening. Advertisement As the fourth day of searches comes to a close, brave crews refuse to give up hope that survivors are waiting to be saved. "We will never presume they're dead," Jake Stovall, the founder of Gulf Search and Rescue, told CNN and vowed to keep working the scene for up to 15 days. Legislators across the US are directing rescue crews to help search for more survivors. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed he's sending water rescue crews and was "happy to step up." Advertisement "Texas has helped us when we've had different issues throughout the years," he said at a news conference. Meanwhile, Nebraska is sending a 45-member search and rescue team with two canine teams and boats. President Donald Trump is also expected to visit the flood site on Friday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump would be investigating the "once in a generation national disaster" and urged everyone to "remain vigilant." Advertisement While central Texas recovers from the devastating floods, tropical storm Chantal also dumping rain on North Carolina and moving up through the northeast. Residents in central parts of the southern state were left stranded and waiting for rescue crews to save them from their flooded homes after the storm hit on Monday. At least 10 inches of rain poured onto parts of North Carolina, leaving some drivers trapped on the roads and highways shut down, according to the 14 Callie McAlary, 16, described the moment she realized the flooding wasn't a normal storm Credit: Fox News Advertisement 14 She and her mother opened up about the heroes who helped save dozens of lives Credit: Fox News


Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Twin eight-year-old girls, a beloved soccer coach and camp director among those killed in Texas floods as death toll climbs to 95
LATEST | At least 95 people have died in the flooding across the state, according to local officialsA Christian summer camp said 27 girls and staff members had been killed in the disasterIn Hill Country, where the worst flooding occurred, up to four more inches of rain is expected to fallDozens more people remain missing as the search for survivors enters a fourth dayWhite House dismisses suggestions that Trump administration cuts may have affected authorities' response to the flooding ©Associated Press Today at 17:23 Two eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who had just completed 2nd grade. A beloved soccer coach and teacher. An Alabama elementary school student away from home. These are a few of the dozens of victims lost in devastating flash floods in central Texas. The flooding originated from the fast-moving waters of the Guadalupe River on Friday, with local officials now putting the death toll at 95.


Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Texas floods: Death toll rises to 91 as ‘significant' downpours forecast
LATEST | The White House has confirmed 91 total fatalitiesA Christian summer camp said 27 girls and staff members had been killed in the disasterIn Hill Country, where the worst flooding occurred, up to four more inches of rain is expected to fallDozens more people remain missing as the search for survivors enters a fourth dayWhite House dismisses suggestions that Trump administration cuts may have affected authorities' response to the flooding ©Associated Press More 'significant' downpours are likely across parts of Texas hill country later today after catastrophic flash flooding last week left dozens of people dead. A Christian summer camp has confirmed that 27 girls and staff members had been killed in the disaster along the Guadalupe River in central Texas. The White House confirmed 91 total fatalities.