Awful photos show what happened after volunteer fire chief was swept away by floods
Colleagues watched as Marble Falls Volunteer Fire Chief Michael Phillips's emergency vehicle was swept away by floodwaters on Saturday as he responded to a call in Burnet County, near Austin.
He is one of two people missing after his emergency vehicle was swept away by floodwaters as he responded to a call in Burnet County, near Austin.
'We had our deputies traveling the county, checking low-water spots as the rain was coming in, and we had three of our own deputies that were stranded on roadways – safe but stranded – and we watched unfortunately as his vehicle did go off the roadway,' Chief Deputy Alan Trevino told CNN.
Hours later, Phillips' vehicle was found crushed beyond recognition and killed with dirt.
He was not inside it, with the hunt for the first responder continuing Monday.
Phillips is one of two people missing in the county; The other is a 17-year-old girl.
Meanwhile the remains of three people were found in the area. They have not yet been publicly identified.
It comes as more than 80 people have died in Central Texas and many more are still missing, including at least 10 girls from a summer camp.
The emergency vehicle Phillips was driving in was found but he was not inside it
Search teams are using helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims in flash floods that have torn across central Texas since the at the start of the July Fourth weekend.
At the center of the tragedy is the scenic Texas Hill Country, where volunteers and some families of the missing have searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so.
But authorities in surrounding areas closer to Austin, the state capital, have also recovered victims from floodwaters.
On Monday, rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain, high waters and snakes including water moccasins continued their desperate search for the missing, including 10 girls and a counselor from Camp Mystic.
Governor Greg Abbott said there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing.
In Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and other youth camps in the Texas Hill Country, searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said in the afternoon.
He pledged to keep searching until 'everybody is found' from Friday's flash floods.
Ten other deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials.
The death toll is certain to rise over the next few days, said Col. Freeman Martin of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The governor warned that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more life-threatening flooding, especially in places already saturated.
Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in an area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made.
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