A devastating flood in central Texas has killed at least 51 people, including 15 children, as emergency crews continue to search for dozens still missing.
Kerr County remains the hardest hit, with 43 confirmed fatalities. Among the missing are 27 children from a Christian summer camp, Camp Mystic, located along the banks of the Guadalupe River.
Sheriff of Kerr County, Larry Leitha said rescue operations are ongoing.
‘The work continues, and will continue, until everyone is found,’ he said.
Additional deaths have been reported in Travis County and Tom Green County, while more than 850 people have been rescued from rising waters across the state.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, addressing a news conference on Saturday, announced an expanded disaster declaration to aid rescue operations.
‘We will be relentless, we will stop when the job is completed.’
President Donald Trump confirmed federal coordination with local agencies, describing the situation as a “major emergency.”
Search crews are scouring the Guadalupe River, where water levels surged over 26 feet in under an hour early Friday, catching many victims unaware.
Much of the search effort has focused on Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp that housed about 750 children. Many campers were still asleep when floodwaters tore through the area.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said many of the 27 girls still unaccounted for are under the age of 12.
Images from the camp show scenes of devastation, muddied bunks, scattered belongings, and flooded cabins.
Camp management emailed parents assuring that any child not directly reported as missing had been accounted for.
Some of the flood victims have been identified, including sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, aged 13 and 11.
A special memorial Mass will be held on Sunday at Notre Dame Catholic Church to honor those killed or still missing.
Residents described harrowing scenes as floodwaters rose rapidly. Lorena Guillen, who lost her home and restaurant, said she heard screams from a nearby family.
“They were clinging to trees, rescuers just couldn’t reach them in time.”
At the Arcadia Live theatre in Kerrville, anxious parents reunited with surviving daughters from nearby Camp Waldemar.
Rachel Reed, who drove from Dallas to retrieve her child, said families were shattered.
‘It could have been me, it’s every parent’s worst nightmare,’ she told the BBC.
In nearby neighborhoods, families returned to find homes swept away or buried in mud.
Meanwhile, Weather forecasters warn that central Texas could face more rainfall this weekend, with 2 to 5 inches expected and up to 10 inches possible in the worst-hit regions.
