52 dead in Texas, 27 girls at 'Camp Mystic' missing after catastrophic flooding
Flash floods killed 52 and left 27 girls missing from a summer camp after the Guadalupe River surged following torrential rain.
As severe flooding continues in Kerrville, Texas, people are beginning to share stories of how they managed to escape when things began to get bad.
Rescue crews continued searching Saturday along the swollen Guadalupe River in Central Texas after catastrophic flooding left at least 52 people dead, including 15 children.
Dozens more remain unaccounted for, according to The NY Times, including around 27 girls from a nearly century-old Christian summer camp in Kerr County. Most of the confirmed fatalities occurred in Kerr County, where more than 850 people were evacuated. Four deaths were also reported in Travis County, which includes Austin. Officials warned the death toll is likely to rise as search efforts continue.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch at 1:18 p.m. Thursday, warning that up to 7 inches of isolated rainfall could fall early Friday across South Central Texas, including Kerr County. Officials say months’ worth of rain fell in less than two hours. The Guadalupe River rose an astonishing 22 feet in just two hours at a gauge near Hunt, where the river forks, Bob Fogarty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Austin/San Antonio told The Texas Tribune. The river reached 29.5 feet before the gauge was overtaken by floodwaters and stopped transmitting, Fogarty added.
Before the sun rose on Friday, floodwaters sent a deadly wave of water down the river overwhelming homes, camps and roads across Kerr County.
Onlookers survey damage caused along the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
More than 1,000 local, state and federal responders are working to search through challenging, flood-ravaged terrain for the missing, Texas Rep. Chip Roy said Saturday.
“We remain in a search-and-rescue posture right now,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. “They will be nonstop, seeking to find everybody who is unaccounted for.”
People climb over debris on a bridge atop the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
People look at debris on the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Hunt, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Abbott said rescuers are using drones and helicopters to scour flooded riverbanks littered with huge piles of debris. The governor issued a disaster declaration for 15 counties and said operations would continue around the clock.
Hundreds of rescuers are searching the area around Kerrville, Texas, to find more than 20 young girls reported missing from a summer camp after devastating flooding struck the area.
Among the missing are more than two dozen girls from Camp Mystic, a summer camp near the river. The campers were staying in low-lying areas when the flooding hit. Officials said children at other area summer camps were accounted for, but communication with Camp Mystic had been delayed due to campers being without phones or devices.
Gov. Dan Patrick said Camp Mystic—a girls' camp that has more than 750 kids—is reporting a catastrophic level of flooding. The camp has no water, power or wifi.
"Today I visited Camp Mystic. It, and the river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster," Gov. Abbott posted on X on Saturday evening. "The height the rushing water reached to the top of cabins was shocking. We won’t stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins."
Men survey damage left by a raging Guadalupe River, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Debris rests on a bridge over the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
“The camp was completely destroyed,” 13-year-old camper Elinor Lester told The Associated Press. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”
She said rescuers tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water rushing all around their legs.
Mariyah Bonilla was recording as an incredible rescue unfolded during deadly Texas flooding early on July 4.
“Technology is actually not allowed there,” Tracy Walder, a NewsNation national security contributor whose daughter is friends with some of the missing campers, told the outlet. “That’s why communication and information is kind of a bit difficult to come by.”
"Right now, there are 20-some that are unaccounted for. That does not mean they've been lost. They could be in a tree, they could be out of communication," Gov. Patrick said. "We're praying for all of those missing to be found alive. We're doing everything we can to get in there. We have the game wardens walking in on foot, driving and dropping into water. We're doing whatever we can do to find everyone."
The families of at least four young campers have confirmed their daughters died in the catastrophic Texas flooding, according to CNN. Among them is 9-year-old Janie Hunt, whose mother said in a message Saturday morning that her daughter had died.
The families of Sarah Marsh, Lila Bonner, and Renee Smajstrla also confirmed their deaths to CNN. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama posted on Facebook that she and her husband were “heartbroken over the loss of Sarah Marsh” and are keeping her family “in our thoughts and prayers during this unimaginable time.”
Bonner’s family said the 9-year-old had died, releasing a statement through CNN: “In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time. We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly for others to be spared from this tragic loss.”
Smajstrla’s uncle described her death as “truly devastating.”
Other families are still waiting for answers. Natalie Landry told CNN her 9-year-old daughter Lainey is still missing. Ellen Toranzo described her missing daughter Greta, 10, as “very smart, sweet, and good at tennis.” The brother of missing camper Blakely McCrory said their family is “hoping she comes back home safe” after recently losing their father in March.
The flooding peaked Friday morning when the Guadalupe River reached 29 feet in western Kerr County, the second-highest level on record. The National Weather Service classified the event as life-threatening and urged people to stay away from flood-prone areas.
Mandatory evacuations were issued Friday for riverside areas in Kerrville and Comfort, where first responders used boats and helicopters to reach trapped residents.
The Trump administration is working with officials in Texas to address the devastating flooding, President Donald Trump wrote on social media Saturday.
The flooding surpassed levels seen during a deadly 1987 event that killed 10 teenagers near Comfort. As rescue crews searched for the missing Friday night, many officials and residents were reminded of the region’s long history of flash flood tragedies.
Flash floods occur when water rises rapidly within six hours of intense rainfall. The National Weather Service warns that even small amounts of water can be deadly: just 6 inches can make a car difficult to control, and 18 inches can sweep it away.
Texas officials said the National Guard and Department of Public Safety have been deployed to aid in rescue and recovery efforts as the region braces for more rain in the days ahead.
Six million people there remain under flood watches until Sunday afternoon or evening. Flash flooding will continue to be a prominent risk through Saturday night, especially in places north and west of Austin, Texas, AccuWeather meteorologists say. Rain should lessen on Sunday though it will still be in the greater region, largely north or east of the hardest hit flood areas.
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