Faces of missing girls as hunt continues for kids swept from camp in flood
Up to 25 children remain missing from a girls camp after a devastating storm hit Texas with nearly a foot of rain falling and here are the faces of some of those still not found.
A desperate search mission is underway to try and find people unaccounted for in Texas Hill Country with 24 people now confirmed dead. The total number of missing is not known but authorities said between 23 and 25 of them were girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River.
So far only nine-year-old Renee Smajstrla is confirmed to have died by her family with the youngster having been at Camp Mystic, in Hunt, which is around 80 miles northwest of San Antonio.
Many relatives have been posting the names of their missing children online as they appeal to the public for information. Janie Hunt is one of the girls missing with her mother telling CNN: 'We are just praying.'
The mum of 9-year-old camper Lainey Landry said her missing daughter was 'brave and sweet,' as she hoped to find good news. Eloise Peck, of Dallas, was in the same cabin as several friends who have also been reported missing, her parents told Fox 4.
Molly DeWitt is missing according to the the Facebook page of a family friend, Hadley Hanna, eight-years-old from Dallas, is among those unaccounted for said her mum Carrie Crossman Hann who received a call from the camp.
Lainey Landry, nine from Houston, Kellyanne Lytal, Eloise Peck, Lila Bonner, Blakely McCrory and Greta Toranzo are other girls who have been reported as missing by local media.
Renee's heartbroken uncle Shawn shared an emotional tribute to his nine-year-old niece on Facebook and thanked emergency services for their work. He said: "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 destructive force of the fast-rising waters just before dawn Friday washed out homes and swept away vehicles. There were hundreds of rescues around Kerr County, including at least 167 by helicopter, authorities said.
'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic. 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.'
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Race on to rescue 11 campers still missing in rising Texas floods
Eleven children attending a Christian camp are still missing as the death toll and floodwaters continue to rise in Texas. Nearly 70 people have been killed since raging floodwaters slammed into central Texas on Friday. The victims include children who vanished along the Guadalupe River banks at Camp Mystic – a Christian summer camp where most of the dead were recovered. Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road. Miraculously, one cabin full of girls managed to hold onto a rope thrown to them by rescuers as they walked across a bridge to safety with water gushing around their legs. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha says that 11 campers and a camp counsellor are still missing in the powerful floods. There were about 750 children at Camp Mystic when the floods hit, the sheriff said earlier. But with each passing hour, the outlook became more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing who drove to the disaster zone began searching the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so. Texas Governor Greg Abbott visited the summer camp for the first time on Sunday describing the scene as 'horrendously ravaged'. 'Today I visited Camp Mystic. It, and the river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I've seen in any natural disaster,' Abbott wrote. 'The height the rushing water reached to the top of the cabins was shocking. We won't stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins.' Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made., It came after a father of three sacrificed himself to save his family from the Texas flash floods telling them, 'I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all.' Julian Ryan, 27, died after the Guadalupe River in central Texas rose 30 feet and flooded into his family's home. MORE: Elon Musk says he has set up a new political group – the 'America Party' MORE: At least 51 dead in Texas floods including girl, 8, 'forever living best life' MORE: 'Mum stabs her three children killing one and sets home on fire'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
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Faces of missing girls as hunt continues for kids swept from camp in flood
Renee Smajstrla, aged nine, has been confirmed by her family as having died after a storm hit a girls camp in Texas and here are the names of some of the other youngsters who are still missing Up to 25 children remain missing from a girls camp after a devastating storm hit Texas with nearly a foot of rain falling and here are the faces of some of those still not found. A desperate search mission is underway to try and find people unaccounted for in Texas Hill Country with 24 people now confirmed dead. The total number of missing is not known but authorities said between 23 and 25 of them were girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River. So far only nine-year-old Renee Smajstrla is confirmed to have died by her family with the youngster having been at Camp Mystic, in Hunt, which is around 80 miles northwest of San Antonio. Many relatives have been posting the names of their missing children online as they appeal to the public for information. Janie Hunt is one of the girls missing with her mother telling CNN: 'We are just praying.' The mum of 9-year-old camper Lainey Landry said her missing daughter was 'brave and sweet,' as she hoped to find good news. Eloise Peck, of Dallas, was in the same cabin as several friends who have also been reported missing, her parents told Fox 4. Molly DeWitt is missing according to the the Facebook page of a family friend, Hadley Hanna, eight-years-old from Dallas, is among those unaccounted for said her mum Carrie Crossman Hann who received a call from the camp. Lainey Landry, nine from Houston, Kellyanne Lytal, Eloise Peck, Lila Bonner, Blakely McCrory and Greta Toranzo are other girls who have been reported as missing by local media. Renee's heartbroken uncle Shawn shared an emotional tribute to his nine-year-old niece on Facebook and thanked emergency services for their work. He said: "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 destructive force of the fast-rising waters just before dawn Friday washed out homes and swept away vehicles. There were hundreds of rescues around Kerr County, including at least 167 by helicopter, authorities said. 'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic. 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.'
Daily Record
2 days ago
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Girl missing in Texas flood dead after being washed away from summer camp
A missing 9-year-old girl has been found dead after she was washed away in a horror flood during summer camp in Texas, while at least 23 girls from the camp are still missing 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.
