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Texas summer camp confirms 27 girls and staff among dead in flash floods as more rain expected

Texas summer camp confirms 27 girls and staff among dead in flash floods as more rain expected

BBC News17 hours ago
Update:
Date: 13:40 BST
Title: Rescuer: Victims found up to eight miles down river from Camp Mystic
Content: Rescue volunteer Greg Froelick is heading up rescue efforts to locate survivors near Camp Mystic - and tells the BBC he's heard of people being found up to "eight miles (12.8km) down the river from where the camp was".
Describing the damage down there, he says "it's pretty crazy" - with "giant trees wrapped around another tree, debris piles 20ft-plus high... it's a complete disaster to be honest".
In an interview with BBC News on Sunday evening, he says he has seen "clothing and items from the camp dressers scattered everywhere, up and down the river".
Rescuers have been searching with dogs, clearing brush and are are now planning to use boats, he explains.
"It rained on us most of the day today," he says, and adds they had to seek higher ground when a "15ft wall of water" began surging through the area.
Update:
Date: 13:28 BST
Title: What we know about Camp Mystic
Content: A major focus of the search has been Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River which suffered significant damage.
A number of the children were killed and several are thought following the flash floods.
The camp in Kerr County said it was "grieving the loss of 27" campers and counsellors in a statement posted today.
Its longtime director Richard "Dick" Eastland has been reported as among the dead.
What do we know about the camp?
Update:
Date: 13:13 BST
Title: In pictures: Devastation in Texas as desperate search continues
Content: Rescuers are racing against the clock in a desperate search for missing people, following devastating flooding in Texas on Friday.
Photos from the southern US state show the scale of devastation across a vast area.
Louis Hays Park in the town of Kerrville now looks like a war zone, with flood debris scattered everywhere
Camp Mystic - a popular girls' summer camp - was the worst-hit, when floodwaters swept through riverside cabins as most of the young residents were sleeping
Rescuers with sniffer dogs have been deployed to the camp to comb through the site by Guadalupe River
There are fears that a number of people may still be trapped
Update:
Date: 12:59 BST
Title: What are the latest casualty figures?
Content: More than 80 people – including children - are known to have died and another 41 are missing in Texas following flash floods.
The worst hit is Kerr County, with 68 fatalities confirmed, including 28 children.
There are also six confirmed casualties in Travis County, three in Burnet County, one in Williamson County, two in Kendall County and one in Tom Green County, according to CBS.
Figures are changing quickly as rescuers continue to search for the missing, and officials say the death toll is certain to rise.
Update:
Date: 12:50 BST
Title: Summer camp 'grieving the loss of 27' campers and counsellors
Content: A summer camp has said it is "grieving the loss of 27" campers and counsellors following flash floods in Texas on Friday.
Camp Mystic, a riverside Christian girls' camp in Kerr County, was deluged claiming the lives of a number of children and leaving others missing.
'Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy,' the camp said in a statement on Monday.
It added it is continuing to work with local and state authorities "who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls".
Update:
Date: 12:43 BST
Title: More rain forecast to hit Texas as search for survivors enters fourth day
Content: Search efforts are continuing in Texas as warnings are issued for further heavy rain over the next two days.
More than 80 people have been confirmed dead across several counties, including 28 children, after flash floods on Friday. Officials say the death toll is certain to rise.
The catastrophe unfolded in the early hours of Friday as the Guadalupe River rose 26ft (8m) in 45 minutes.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday authorities would "stop at nothing" to ensure every missing person is found.
We'll be providing updates throughout the day.
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Volunteers flock to help search efforts after Texas floods even as officials warn them away
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  • The Independent

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EXCLUSIVE Expert uncovers horrifying mistake before Texas floods... as blame game erupts and new evidence suggests NO ONE should have died
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Dozens of people died in the catastrophic flooding that tore through central Texas last week, and now shocking new evidence suggests the tragedy may have been entirely avoidable. Local officials in Kerr County rejected a proposal in 2017 to install a modern flood warning system along the Guadalupe River, saying its roughly $300,000 price tag was too 'extravagant' for the rural area.

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