24 dead in Texas floods, over 20 children missing from summer camp

Search teams behaviour vessel and chopper rescues successful fast-moving floodwaters

A chopper rescue takes spot amid the deadly flooding successful Kerrville, Texas, US, connected July 4, successful this inactive representation from video obtained from societal media. Photo via REUTERS

Months worthy of dense rainfall fell successful a substance of hours connected Texas Hill Country, leaving 24 radical dormant and galore much unaccounted for Friday, including much than 20 girls attending a summertime camp, arsenic hunt teams conducted vessel and chopper rescues successful fast-moving floodwaters.

Desperate pleas peppered societal media arsenic loved ones sought immoderate accusation astir radical caught successful the flood zone. At slightest 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rainfall poured down overnight successful cardinal Kerr County, causing flash flooding of the Guadalupe River.

At a quality league precocious connected Friday, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 24 radical had been killed. The authorities said 237 radical had been rescued truthful far, including 167 by helicopter.

The missing children were attending Camp Mystic, a Christian campy on the Guadalupe stream successful the tiny municipality of Hunt. Elinor Lester, 13, said she and her compartment mates had to beryllium helicoptered to safety.

A raging tempest woke up her compartment astir 1:30 am, and erstwhile rescuers arrived, Lester said they tied a enactment for the girls to clasp arsenic the children successful her compartment walked crossed span with floodwaters whipping astir the calves and knees.

“The campy was wholly destroyed,” she said. “A chopper landed and started taking radical away. It was truly scary.” The concern was inactive processing and officials said the decease toll could change, with rescue operations ongoing for an unspecified full fig of missing.

Authorities were inactive moving to place the dead.

A stream gauge astatine Hunt recorded a 22-foot emergence successful astir 2 hours, according to Bob Fogarty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office. The gauge failed aft signaling a level of 29 and a fractional feet.

“The water's moving truthful fast, you're not going to recognise however atrocious it is until it's connected apical of you,” Fogarty said.

On the Kerr County sheriff's bureau Facebook page, radical posted pictures of loved ones and begged for assistance uncovering them.

At slightest 400 radical were connected the crushed helping successful the response, Patrick said. Nine rescue teams, 14 helicopters and 12 drones were being used, with immoderate radical being rescued from trees.

About 23 of the astir 750 girls attending Camp Mystic were among those who were unaccounted for, Patrick said.

Search crews were doing “whatever we tin bash to find everyone we can,” helium said.