The number of people killed in flash floods across central Texas has climbed to 82, with 10 campers missing, authorities confirmed on Sunday.
Most of the deaths were in Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River burst its banks after nearly a foot of rain fell on Friday.
The disaster struck the Texas Hill Country, an area dotted with summer camps, during the busy Independence Day weekend. Camp Mystic, an all-girls camp near Hunt, was hit hard.
Survivors described terrifying scenes as water surged through cabins and homes in the early hours. Some clung to trees. Others fled to attics. More than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours.
President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County on Sunday, allowing federal assistance.
“These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy,” he wrote on social media.
Governor Greg Abbott declared Sunday a day of prayer, and said search teams would work around the clock. “We will not stop until everyone is found,” Sheriff Leitha added.
Families were allowed to return to the camp on Sunday to recover belongings and search for their loved ones. Some broke down in tears as they walked through wreckage and empty cabins. One girl was seen holding a camp bell. Another family drove away in silence with a teenage girl crying by the window.
Texas resident Ilda Mendoza said they went to help.
“I've driven down from Hunt and it's the most horrific. As soon as we saw how horrible it was, it is….we kind of knew there is probably not going to be….there weren't going to be survivors. It's it's just been difficult. It is, it's really hard to to go through the river and trying to find anything, explained Ilda."
Jeffrey Beris is also one of the rescue volunteers trying to find any of the missing people washed away by the strong flood waters.
“The father was found yesterday and the team found two kids too downstream. And so we're just, we're just scouting the area, both sides of (the) riverbed. We found an article of clothing from the mother and we were tracking and tracing opposite sides of (the) riverbed,” said Jeffrey.
In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered condolences during his Sunday prayer.
“We pray for all the families, especially those who lost daughters at summer camp.”
Known as ‘flash flood alley’, the region is prone to such disasters. But even locals say they weren’t prepared for the speed and scale of this storm.
France and Canada will open new consulates in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, on Friday, stepping up their Arctic presence as geopolitical tensions grow ...
A senior Russian military intelligence officer is recovering in hospital after being shot several times in Moscow, as investigators prepare to interro...
Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy system early on Saturday (7 January), hitting power generation and distribution f...
Türkiye’s national energy company, TPAO, has struck a new cooperation deal with U.S. energy giant Chevron, signing a memorandum of understanding to...
The Netherlands has returned a 3,500-year-old Egyptian sculpture to Egypt, after an investigation confirmed the artefact had been looted and unlawfull...
France and Canada will open new consulates in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, on Friday, stepping up their Arctic presence as geopolitical tensions grow following renewed U.S. interest in the strategically located island.
A senior Russian military intelligence officer is recovering in hospital after being shot several times in Moscow, as investigators prepare to interrogate two suspects in what appears to be the latest assassination attempt targeting Russia’s top military ranks since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy system early on Saturday (7 January), hitting power generation and distribution facilities with more than 400 drones and around 40 missiles, Ukrainian officials have said.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 7th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Winter weather has brought air travel in the German capital to a complete halt, stranding thousands of passengers as severe icing conditions make runways and aircraft unsafe for operation and force authorities to shut down one of Europe’s key transport hubs.
Storm Leonardo hit Spain and Portugal on Tuesday, forcing more than 11,000 people from their homes, as a man in Portugal died after his car was swept away by floodwaters and a second body was found in Malaga.
An attacker opened fire at the gates of a Shiite Muslim mosque in Islamabad on Friday before detonating a suicide bomb that killed at least 31 people in the deadliest assault of its kind in the capital in more than a decade.
Alphabet is emerging as a frontrunner in the global artificial intelligence race, as analysts and executives say Google has overtaken OpenAI, marking a sharp reversal from a year ago when the company was widely seen as lagging.
Using art as a quiet alarm, a new exhibition in Baku is drawing attention to endangered wildlife and the need for environmental responsibility.
France and Canada will open new consulates in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, on Friday, stepping up their Arctic presence as geopolitical tensions grow following renewed U.S. interest in the strategically located island.
Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy system early on Saturday (7 January), hitting power generation and distribution facilities with more than 400 drones and around 40 missiles, Ukrainian officials have said.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 7th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have discussed an ambitious goal of reaching a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine by March, though the timeline is widely viewed as unrealistic due to deep disagreements over territory, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks.
At least 31 people have been killed and scores wounded in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, during Friday prayers, prompting widespread international condemnation.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment