Texas emergency crew: Photo credit - CNN
The number of flood-related deaths in Texas has risen to 50, with 15 toddlers and 27 young girls still unaccounted for from the inundated Camp Mystic. Searches for survivors are rapidly coming to an end, despite rescuers continuing to search the damaged area in central Texas. The unexpected disaster has shocked and saddened people all around the world.
Kerr County was the hardest hit, especially the sections around the Guadeloupe River, where a
rare downpour of rain caused the water levels to rise by 26 feet in just
forty-five minutes. A little over a third of a year's worth of rain dropped in
a few hours, causing an "extraordinary catastrophe" and entirely
overflowing the canals.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha stated, "We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County."There are 15 youngsters and 28 adults among those who have passed away. The current confirmed death toll stands at 50 after numerous deaths in neighboring counties, while this number is regrettably predicted to increase.
A group of school-age girls who vanished from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp beside the river, are the subject of the most urgent search. Dorm rooms are littered with soaked mattresses and teddies, according to heartbreaking images taken from the destroyed location.
Sheriff Leitha reported that 27 of the kids were still unaccounted for on Saturday. All of the missing children's parents have been informed, and many of them have taken to social media to make fervent requests for details about their daughters. According to local sources, their families have confirmed the deaths of up to five girls.
The anguished mother of 9-year-old Janie Hunt informed CNN that her daughter was one of the fatalities. The body was discovered, according to a Facebook post made by Renee Smajstrla's relative, who is nine years old. Shawna Salta tweeted: "We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday."
Dick Eastland, the director and proprietor of Camp Mystic, is one of the confirmed dead. Hector Nieto, director of the public information office, reported that 13 persons were missing and four confirmed deceased in Travis County, northeast of Kerr, in other parts of Texas. It's still unclear how many people are missing overall.
Air, land, and water-based workers were searching the entire Guadalupe River for survivors and the corpses of the deceased, according to Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Department of Emergency Management. "We will continue the search until all those who are missing are found," he stated.
Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, announced that he was extending the state disaster declaration and asking President Donald Trump for more federal funding. Abbott also pledged that the task would be given priority and that victims would receive round-the-clock assistance.
Credit to the Sun Newspaper: Britain