Camp Confirms Worst Fears as Texas Flooding Deaths Exceed 90
People look on as law enforcement and volunteers continue to search for missing people near Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, on July 5.
Photographer: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty ImagesThree days after cataclysmic floods tore through a stretch of the Texas Hill Country, officials have confirmed the deaths of 27 children and counselors who had been missing from a girls’ summer camp. Authorities counted more than 90 deaths statewide and said the number was almost certain to climb as rescuers sorted through mounds of debris.
Officials refused to say at a news conference Monday how many additional people were still believed missing, but warned that more heartache was sure to come. The confirmation from Camp Mystic about its campers was a devastating blow to family and community members who had been holding out hope for their survival. More than 750 kids were at the property along the Guadalupe River on Friday morning when torrential rains unleashed a flash flood that swept away cabins, campsites, bridges and roads, hampering search and recovery efforts.