Texas flash floods: Death toll rises to 43; rescue ops under way
At least 43 people have died in the severe flooding that hit Texas Hill Country early Friday, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed as the search continued for dozens of missing girls.
The victims include 28 adults and 15 children.
Earlier, authorities had reported that 27 girls from a Christian summer camp located along the Guadalupe River were among the missing. Officials believe some of the campers may be stranded and unable to reach out for help.
A US Congressman has confirmed that his two daughters were safely evacuated from Camp Mystic, the summer camp for girls.
Representative August Pfluger announced on Saturday via a post on X that he and his wife have been 'now reunited' with their daughters.
'The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors,' he wrote.
'Please join us today as we pray for miracles,' he added.
At a news conference on Friday night, Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated that the state is deploying all necessary resources to support ongoing search and rescue operations. This includes personnel from the Texas National Guard and state troopers.
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Abbott declared a state of disaster for several counties in the Hill Country region, located about 70 miles north of San Antonio. On Saturday, he expanded the declaration to include additional counties affected by the flooding and formally requested federal assistance through a signed disaster declaration.
W Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas division of emergency management, said Saturday afternoon that authorities are still "actively searching" for survivors, although he acknowledged that the mission "will turn into recovery at some point."
"When you talk to the men and women that are up there in those helicopters and out in those boats and walking the ground, they're looking for live people right now and doing everything they can to continue to search as fast as possible," Kidd said at a press conference.
Governor Abbott, also speaking at the briefing, emphasized that he has directed all state agencies involved in the efforts to "assume everybody missing is alive" and stressed that "every minute counts."
More than 850 people have been rescued so far, many with the help of helicopters, according to officials. Texas authorities also stated that several flood-affected areas are still experiencing power and internet outages.
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