Camp Mystic, the girls summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas, has confirmed that 27 children and counsellors died in the flash floods that have wreaked devastation on 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.
The search continued for missing people, it said, adding: “We ask for your continued prayers, respect and privacy for each of our families affected.”
The tragic news surfaced as Texas authorities confirmed at least 82 people had died amid the flash flooding, a figure that is expected to rise as more rain threatens to deluge the region.
Officials said life-threatening flooding remained a threat as crews continued an urgent search for people still missing. The Guadalupe River rose 26ft (8 meters) in 45 minutes in Friday’s pre-dawn hours, after a downpour north of San Antonio.
The sheriff of Kerr county, Larry Leitha, has said at least 68 people were found dead in an area known as the Hill Country. There are several summer camps there. At least 10 other deaths were reported in the counties of Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson, local officials have said.
The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, warned that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more perilous flooding, especially in places where the ground is already saturated.
Kerr residents were clearing mud from their destroyed properties and saving what belongings they could. Some said the heroism of the neighbors was all that saved them, as authorities faced questions about whether enough warnings about the downpour were issued, how many actually received them and whether enough was done to prepare for the rain.
Reagan Brown told the Associated Press that his parents, in their 80s, managed to escape uphill as water inundated their home in the town of Hunt. When Brown’s parents learned that their 92-year-old neighbor was trapped in her attic, they went back and rescued 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 being evacuated and singing the hymns Pass It On and Amazing Grace as they crossed a bridge over the Guadalupe River, which was still flowing fiercely.
Donald Trump on Sunday signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr county, which is meant to unlock federal resources meant to help local officials. He said he would probably visit on Friday, a week after the deadly flash flood, saying to go earlier might impede search and recovery efforts.
