Frantic Search Continues for Missing Campers as Texas Flood Death Toll Rises to 24
July 5 (Reuters) — A desperate search is still underway for more than 20 people, most of them young girls, missing from a historic Christian summer camp in central Texas after sudden flash floods swept through the region, killing at least 24 and forcing hundreds to be rescued at the start of the U.S. Independence Day weekend.
The flooding, triggered by intense early-morning thunderstorms on Friday, caused the Guadalupe River to rise rapidly—surging nearly 29 feet near Camp Mystic, located about 85 miles northwest of San Antonio. More than 100 of the 237 people rescued in the area were airlifted by helicopter.
Authorities say that 23 to 25 individuals remain unaccounted for from the camp, which has been operating for over a century. The majority are reported to be young girls who were staying at the site when the river overflowed.
Officials said there was no advance warning of the flood’s severity. “This happened very quickly—within less than a two-hour span—and could not be predicted, even with radar,” said Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerrville, the county seat of Kerr County.
While waters began to recede on Saturday, a flood watch remains in effect until 7 p.m. for the greater San Antonio-Austin area, with additional scattered showers expected. However, the National Weather Service said the most extreme flood stages along the Guadalupe River have passed.
Governor Greg Abbott pledged that search-and-rescue efforts would continue around the clock, saying at a press conference late Friday that state resources for the operation would be “limitless.”
President Donald Trump also addressed the situation, saying, “We’ll take care of them,” when asked about potential federal disaster assistance.
