Latest news with #NMas
The Herald Scotland
10-07-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Amid Texas floods, teen Mexican counselors protect Camp Mystic girls
"We had to put on brave faces so the girls wouldn't know," Silvana Garza told the Mexican news outlet NMas. Garza and fellow counselor Maria Paula Zarate, both Mexican nationals at the camp for the summer, have been recognized for their heroism by Mexico's president. Their story has also gone viral on social media. Their crisis began in the early hours of July 4, as heavy rainfall knocked out the camp's power. The storm sounded like a scary movie, Garza said later. The camp, nestled between the banks of the Guadalupe River and its Cypress Creek tributary, had just begun its monthlong term for hundreds of girls. Attending Camp Mystic is a summertime ritual for generations of Texas families. The Christian camp is remote, about 90 miles northwest of San Antonio. Garza and Zarate were watching girls in the camp's newer site, up in the hills and away from the original campsite down by the Guadalupe River. It wasn't until hours later that the teens realized the original campsite, where they had slept just the week before, had been destroyed. At least 27 campers as young as 8 were swept away in the raging floodwaters. Nearly a dozen more remain missing. For hours, as Garza and Zarate waited for more information, they sang songs and played games with the girls. They instructed the girls to pack their belongings to prepare to evacuate. They had them put on name badgesand wrote their names on their skin where it was visible, Zarate said. If they had a favorite stuffed animal, counselors instructed them to bring it along with suitcases. Though the counselors tried to remain positive, the girls were scared. "They wanted to be with their parents," Garza said. Finally around 6 p.m., the counselors were alerted that more flooding was on the way. They had to evacuate. They passed through the original campsite by the Guadalupe River. Mattresses and clothes hung in the trees, Garza recalled to Univision 41. Tables floated along the river. "I felt like I was in a dream," she said in Spanish. "I didn't think it was real." In an evacuation center, 19 miles away in Kerrville, they saw similar damage of houses uprooted and turned aside. Cars were lodged in trees - a sign of how high the water rose, Garza noted. Eventually, their campers were reunited with their families. Garza and Zarate also saw parents whose children were missing. "That was the worst part of the day," Garza told Univision 41. She later added, "I couldn't explain the feeling of being a parent and not seeing your daughter not being there." Garza had planned to stay for weeks at Camp Mystic, but she said she would return to Mexico early. From one day to the next, everything can change, Garza said. On the morning of July 7, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo expressed condolences for the lives lost in the floods. She also recognized Garza and Zarate for their efforts helping save camp attendees. "They make us proud," she said. Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@ or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Camp Counselors Say They Wrote Girls' Names on Their Bodies in Case They Were Swept Away by Texas Floodwaters
Two camp counselors recall writing names on the bodies of campers in case they were swept away by floodwaters during the Texas flood disaster on July 4 Silvana Garza and Maria Paula said that they "put on a happy face" for the campers, who began to panic after realizing the tragedy that was unfolding Camp Mystic confirmed on July 7 that 27 campers and counselors died due to the 'catastrophic flooding"Two camp counselors say they wrote girls' names on their bodies in case they were swept away by floodwaters during the Texas flood disaster. Silvana Garza and Maria Paula told Mexican news outlet NMas on Sunday, July 6, that they began to 'write our names on our skin, anywhere that was visible' as floodwaters began to rise near Camp Mystic on Friday, July 4, according to The New York Post. In the Spanish-language interview, the teenagers said they were working at a nearby branch when survivors who were evacuated from Camp Mystic arrived at their site. After writing their own names on themselves, Silvana and Maria said they 'did the same for girls' attending the camp, ensuring they were written 'anywhere that was easy to see.' 'At the time, we started to prepare our girls because we thought we were also going to be evacuated,' Maria said, according to the Post. 'We told them to pack a bag, to pack their favorite stuffed animal. We didn't know if we were going to be evacuated or not. We were just waiting.' The counselors were instructed to 'put on a happy face' in order to not frighten the campers. But the campers eventually caught on to the tragedy, and some began to panic. 'All of the girls started to go crazy, some were crying because they didn't want to leave," Silvana recalled. 'Others wanted their parents. I really don't know how to explain it. It was something awful.' The campers and counselors were eventually evacuated from their spot, after which they learned about the extent of the tragedy. Authorities in Texas have said more than 80 people died from the flash flooding, according to the Associated Press. Camp Mystic confirmed on Monday, July 7, that 27 campers and counselors died due to the 'catastrophic flooding on the Guadalupe River.' 'Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy,' the camp said in a statement. 'We are praying for them constantly.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. They added, "We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls." Camp Mystic said they "are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level." "We ask for your continued prayers, respect and privacy for each of our families affected," they added. "May the Lord continue to wrap His presence around all of us." To learn how to help support the victims and recovery efforts from the Texas floods, click here. Read the original article on People
New York Post
07-07-2025
- General
- New York Post
Teen camp counselors describe harrowing moment they wrote girls' names on their bodies in case they were swept away in floodwaters
Two teenage camp counselors have recalled the harrowing moment they wrote the names of the young girls they were caring for on their bodies in case they were swept away in the raging Texas floodwaters. Silvana Garza and Maria Paula said they desperately put on a 'happy face' to keep the children calm as they prepared to evacuate a branch of Camp Mystic neighboring the one where at least five girls were killed and 11 are still missing. 'Us as counselors, we started to write our names on our skin, anywhere that was visible,' Paula Told Mexican news outlet NMas in a Spanish-language interview on Sunday. Advertisement 4 Counselors Silvana Garza and Maria Paula describe the moments they prepared to evacuate as raging flood waters rose around them. NMas/YouTube 4 Bystanders survey the damage at Camp Mystic. DUSTIN SAFRANEK/EPA/Shutterstock 'We did the same for the girls, wrote their names anywhere that was easy to see,' she added. Survivors of the neighboring private all-girls summer camp — where at least five girls are confirmed dead and another 11 remain missing — flocked to to the location where Garza and Paula worked as the Guadalupe River swelled. Advertisement 4 Furnitures lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding. REUTERS As news poured in of the horror nearby, the pair said they were told to 'put on a happy face' to not scare the younger girls. 'At the time, we started to prepare our girls because we thought we were also going to be evacuated,' Garza told the outlet. 4 Stuffed animals on the windowsill of a cabin at Camp Mystic. REUTERS Advertisement 'We told them to pack a bag, to pack their favorite stuffed animal. We didn't know if we were going to be evacuated or not. We were just waiting.' At least 82 people have been killed in the historic floods — with dozens more people missing and the number of those killed only expected to rise.
AFP
30-06-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Video shows explosion at Mexico diesel storage facility, not Israeli attack on Iran
"When Israel dropped bombs on Iran's warhead warehouse, thousands of warheads stored there exploded, creating a fire mushroom just like the one during a nuclear blast," reads a Hindi-language post published on X on June 14, 2025. It shares footage of a large explosion and blaze in an urban area, and a voice can be heard saying in Spanish, "I hope no one is in there." Image Screenshot of the false post, taken on June 17, 2025 with a red X added by AFP The video surfaced after Israel fired missiles at Iranian nuclear and military facilities on the previous day, before Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles targeting Tel Aviv (archived link). The US military bombed three Iranian nuclear sites in what President Donald Trump said on June 21 was a "very successful attack", before Iran responded by launching missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar -- the biggest US military facility in the Middle East (archived link). Trump announced on June 23 that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire (archived link). Israeli attacks on Iran killed at least 627 civilians during the 12-day war between the arch-foes, Iran's health ministry said, while 28 people were killed in Israel in strikes across the country (archived link). The video was shared with similar claims elsewhere on X and on Facebook. But a reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the false video shows Mexican outlet NMas used the clip in a report published on May 22 about an explosion at a diesel storage plant in the Nuevo Leon state (archived link). The video report's description said the owner has been under investigation since 2021 for fuel trafficking. Image Screenshot comparison of the false video (L) and the NMas clip Other outlets also reported on the explosion with the same visuals (archived here and here). The explosion can also be seen in a clip filmed from another angle published on the same day on TikTok, with explosion sound effects added by the user (archived link). AFP has debunked other misinformation about the Iran-Israel war.
