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Texas floods: Death toll crosses 50 as many summer camp children are still missing, rescue ops continue
A flood gauge marks the height of water flowing over a farm-to-market road near Kerrville, Texas, on Friday, July 4, 2025. AP
At least 51 people have died in the state so far, many of them children, following flash floods in central Texas, authorities said on Saturday as rescuers continued a frantic search for campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing.
Rescue teams continued searching riverbanks on Saturday, now covered with broken trees, overturned cars, and muddy debris, in a desperate effort to find missing people. Among them are more than two dozen girls who vanished after their summer camp was hit by a powerful flash flood.
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More than 36 hours after the disaster, officials have still not confirmed the total number of people missing, except for 27 girls from Camp Mystic—a Christian summer camp on the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, where most of the victims have been found.
The floodwaters surged 26 feet (8 metres) in just 45 minutes before sunrise on Friday, sweeping away homes and vehicles. The threat isn't over, as heavy rain continued to pound areas near San Antonio on Saturday, with flash flood warnings still in effect.
Rescuers have been using helicopters, boats, and drones to search for victims and help people trapped in trees or stranded at isolated camps.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said authorities would keep working non-stop to search for the missing and expand the search as waters recede.
More rain also fell around Austin, and the search intensified across the surrounding Hill Country.
In Travis County, where the state capital is located, three people have died and ten are still missing.
Two more deaths were reported in Burnet County. One firefighter is among the missing after being swept away during a rescue mission, according to Emergency Management Coordinator Derek Marchio.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed that 32 bodies have been recovered so far in the Hill Country—18 adults and 14 children.
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Officials are now facing questions about whether enough warnings were given to camps and residents in flood-prone areas and if proper safety measures were in place.
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