43 Dead and Around 20 Missing After Sudden Flooding in Texas

 

43 Dead and Around 20 Missing After Sudden Flooding in Texas

Texas hit by devastating and deadly floods

Devastating floods caused by torrential rains in Texas have left at least 43 people dead, including 15 children, according to an updated death toll released overnight from Saturday to Sunday. Around twenty minors remain missing. The missing children had been attending a summer camp with over 750 other kids.

"We have found 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. Among them, there are 28 adults and 15 children," the sheriff said at a press conference, noting that 27 people are still missing, including several children who were attending a Christian summer camp for girls along the Guadalupe River.

According to officials, the river level—located in central Texas—rose by about eight meters (26 feet) in just 45 minutes. Nearly 300 millimeters (12 inches) of rain per hour fell during this period—roughly one-third of the county’s annual average rainfall.

Around 20 Children Missing

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick stated in a press conference that he had "no news of about thirty" of the children attending the summer camp.

“This doesn’t mean they are victims,” he added. “They could be in a tree or without communication.”

“We had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what happened,”
— Rob Kelly, Kerr County Judge

About 500 rescue workers and 14 helicopters were deployed, while the Texas National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard also sent reinforcements.

More Rain Expected

"The rain has calmed, but we know another wave is coming," warned Freeman Martin, Director of Texas Public Safety, adding that further rainfall was expected in the San Antonio and Austin areas.

In mid-June, at least 10 people died in San Antonio due to flooding caused by similar torrential rains.