Texas Flash Flood Tragedy: 27 Dead at Camp Mystic

Texas Flash Flood Tragedy: Camp Mystic (the girls summer camp located on the banks of the Guadalupe River, Texas) has identified 27 children and camp counselors who lost their lives in the flash floods that have devastated the area since Friday.

“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly,” a statement on the camp website read.

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This tragic news surfaced as Texas officials confirmed at least 82 persons lost their lives in the flash flooding, and, with rain forecasted to further inundate the area, this number is expected to increase.

Officials stated that life-threatening flooding remains a danger as crews search urgently for people who are not accounted for. The Guadalupe River rose 26ft (8 meters) in 45 minutes over the pre-dawn hours of Friday after heavy rain fell north of San Antonio.

Kerr county sheriff Larry Leitha stated in a news conference that at least 68 people were located dead in a region referred to as Hill Country, an area with several summer camps. Local officials have indicated at least 10 other fatalities that occurred in the counties of Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson.

Texas governor Greg Abbott warned additional rounds of heavy rain could complicate efforts into Tuesday, stressing that areas already saturated would likely see the greatest flooding threat.

Residents were still shoveling mud out of their devastated homes and salvaging belongings, with some residents saying their neighbors' heroics were the only difference between survival and tragedy, and unanswered questions persisted about whether officials warned residents sufficiently of the coming downpour, how many residents actually received them, and whether they did enough to prepare for the rain.

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Reagan Brown told the Associated Press his parents, both in their 80s, were able to escape uphill as water poured into their home in the town of Hunt, and when Brown's parents learned their 92-year-old neighbor was unsafe, stuck in her attic, they went back and saved her.

“Then they were able to reach their toolshed up higher ground, and neighbors throughout the early morning began to show up at their toolshed, and they all rode it out together,” Brown said.

A video posted on X showed girls from Camp Mystic evacuating, singing the hymns Pass It On and Amazing Grace while traversing a bridge over the Guadalupe River which still had significant rapids.

On Sunday Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr county, which releases federal Resources the president said will assist local officials. He indicated he would likely visit on Friday, a week after the deadly flash flood, noting that to go sooner could hinder the search and recovery operations.

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