Flash floods that tore through central Texas on Friday have left at least 81 people dead, with 41 others still unaccounted for. Kerr County suffered the highest toll, recording 68 fatalities, among them 28 children, after raging waters inundated a riverside Christian camp for girls. Authorities say that ten campers and one counsellor from Camp Mystic remain missing as search efforts continue.
Kerr County has recorded the highest number of fatalities so far, after devastating floods swept through a riverside Christian girls’ camp, resulting in the deaths of several children and leaving others unaccounted for.
Additional deaths have been confirmed in Travis, Burnet, Williamson, Kendall, and Tom Green counties.
Authorities have cautioned that the official death toll is likely to climb as rescue operations continue and more victims are discovered. Many of the deceased have yet to be formally identified.
Flood warnings remain in effect for much of the region until 7:00 pm local time on Monday (1:00 am GMT Tuesday), with forecasters predicting further rainfall that could worsen conditions.
The expected continuation of severe weather could hamper rescue teams who are already facing venomous snakes as they sift through mud and debris.
Three days after the inundation, one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in recent Texas history was shifting towards a recovery operation.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday that authorities would “stop at nothing” to ensure every missing person was found.
Read also: Texas Flood Tragedy: US Teams Look For Missing Girls
“It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through,” said Abbott, a day after he toured the area.
Rescue teams have concentrated their efforts around Camp Mystic, a well-known summer retreat for girls located along the Guadalupe River, which was severely damaged in the floods.
The disaster struck early Friday morning when the river surged by 26 feet in under an hour, catching most campers while they slept. Among those confirmed dead are several young girls and the camp’s longtime director, Richard “Dick” Eastland.
Greg Froelick, a former Navy SEAL now volunteering with the search-and-rescue organisation 300 Justice, described the grim aftermath. He told the BBC that some victims had been discovered as far as eight miles downstream from the camp.
Froelick recounted seeing personal belongings – clothes and furniture from camp cabins – strewn along the riverbanks, bearing silent witness to the devastation that unfolded in minutes.