Search for missing girls from summer camp after Texas floods kill at least 24
The destructive force of the flash floods after the Guadalupe River burst its banks just before dawn on Friday washed out homes and swept away vehicles in Texas Hill Country.
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There were hundreds of rescues around Kerr County, including at least 167 by helicopter, authorities said, after nearly a foot of rain fell.
The total number of missing is not known, but the sheriff said between 23 and 25 of them were girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.
Families are reunited at a reunification centre after flash flooding hit the area (AP/Eric Gay)
On social media, parents and families posted desperate pleas for information about loved ones caught in the flood zone.
'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic.
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'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.'
She said a raging storm woke up her cabin around 1.30am on Friday (7.30am on Friday BST). When rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as the children in her cabin walked across the bridge with floodwaters whipping around their knees.
The flooding in the middle of the night on the July 4 US holiday caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise.
First responders scan the banks of the Guadalupe River for individuals swept away by flooding in Ingram, Texas (Michel Fortier/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)
Officials defended their preparations for severe weather and their response, but said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was, in effect, the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area.
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One US National Weather Service forecast this week had called for only between three and six inches of rain, said Nim Kidd, the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
'It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,' he said.
At a news conference late on Friday, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 24 people had been confirmed killed. Authorities said 237 people had been rescued so far.
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A cabin packed with people was swept away by deadly floodwaters after torrential rain hit central Texas on Friday. At least 59 people are confirmed to have died in Kerr County and neighbouring areas after nearly a foot of rain fell on Friday, causing the Guadalupe River to overflow. Among the missing are 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp in Hunt, Texas. State officials said the death toll was expected to rise. Before the flood, photos showed an idyllic retreat with green-roofed cabins and names like 'Wiggle Inn.' But the scene has since transformed into devastation, with communities submerged, homes destroyed, and vehicles swept away. In one of the most harrowing moments, a large cabin was filmed floating down the Guadalupe River in Hill County. Faint yellow lights flickered from within as panicked voices echoed in the night. 'Oh my God, there's so many people in it,' a bystander said as the cabin disappeared into the current. On Sunday, emergency teams were searching for those still unaccounted for after the river rose 26ft in 45 minutes overnight on Friday. Larry Leitha, the local county sheriff, confirmed 38 adults and 21 children were among the dead in Kerry County, while 10 more died in other Texas counties. Renee Smajstrla, eight, who had been 'having the time of her life,' is among the victims. 'Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly,' said her uncle, Shawn Salta. Nine-year-old Janie Hunt, nine, was also confirmed dead by her mother, Anne Hunt, who told CNN she had been 'praying' for her daughter's safe return. The families of Sarah Marsh, eight, and Lila Bonner, nine, two more girls from Camp Mystic, also confirmed their deaths. 'Our sweet Sarah is gone!' Debbie Ford Marsh, Sarah's grandmother, wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. 'We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever! We love you so much sweet Sarah!' she added. 'Last act of kindness' Dick Eastland, the long-time owner and director of Camp Mystic, reportedly died while trying to rescue campers. '[Eastland] was family to so many campers,' wrote Paige Sumner, who knew Mr Eastland, in a tribute for the Kerrville Daily Times. 'It doesn't surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers.' Lt Governor Dan Patrick said 700 girls were in residence at the camp when the flood hit. By Sunday morning, 27 remained missing. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, was quizzed about why the National Weather Service's (NWS) alerts about heavy rainfall and flooding were delayed, blaming its 'ancient' alerts system. 'The weather is extremely difficult to predict,' she said alongside Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas. 'But also … the National Weather Service, over the years at times, has done well and at times, we have all wanted more time and more warning and more notification.' 'We needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years and that is the reforms that are ongoing there,' Ms Noem added. Residents in central Texas were warned of a 'moderate' storm at about 1.18pm on Thursday, with the NWS initial flood watch predicting 5-7 inches of rain. This was the first in a series of bulletins that grew increasingly serious in the early hours of Friday morning before a 'threat to life' was issued at 4.03am. The Trump administration has faced criticism for staffing cuts to the NWS, which saw nearly 600 employees laid off earlier this year, doubling the vacancy rate since January, The New York Times reported. But Greg Waller, an NWS hydrologist in Fort Worth, told the Texas Tribune that the team had 'adequate staffing, adequate technology' on the night of the storm. Mr Trump on Sunday signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr Country 'to ensure that our brave first responders immediately have the resources they need'. The US president said on social media: 'These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing.' 'Our incredible US Coast Guard, together with State First Responders, have saved more than 850 lives,' he said, ending the message with: 'GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!'
