Girl missing in Texas flood dead after being washed away from summer camp
A nine year old girl tragically lost her life after being swept away by severe flooding while attending a summer camp.
Renee Smajstrla's family has confirmed the devastating news following the deadly floods that impacted Texas during her stay at Camp Mystic in Hunt, situated roughly 80 miles northwest of San Antonio. The camp, which is a Christian summer retreat for girls, saw at least 23 children go missing amidst the catastrophic floods on Friday, with 750 girls in attendance for their summer holidays, reports the Mirror.
In a poignant Facebook post, Renee's uncle Shawn expressed his sorrow and gratitude towards those who supported the search efforts. He wrote: "Thank you to all our friends and family for all the prayers and outreach.
"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. We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday.
"She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic. Please continue to pray for the other families in Kerrville. We are now trying to make our way home from Italy to be with Michelle's family."
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas has also reported that at least 23 girls from the camp, located by the Guadalupe River, were unaccounted for after the region was hit by devastating floods, which brought approximately a foot of rain across Central Texas.
Dan Patrick commented: "That does not mean they've been lost. They could be in a tree. They could be out of communication. We're praying for all of those missing to be found alive."
The Guadalupe River, by Kerrville town, overflowed, swamping numerous rural towns as the water levels surged over 22 feet on Friday night following several months' worth of rain in just hours.
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