At least 13 people were confirmed dead on July 4 after severe flash floods hit the Hill Country of Texas, forcing rescue forces to deploy rescue operations along the Guadalupe River, the Kerr County Sheriff's Office confirmed.
Texas Deputy Governor Dan Patrick said that about 6 to 10 bodies had been found. The situation is still complicated and the number of casualties is likely to increase.
"Within just 45 minutes, the water level of the Guadalupe River rose nearly 8 meters. A flood that destroyed property and unfortunately killed lives," Patrick said, noting that the area was recording more than 300 mm of rain per hour.
Hundreds of people from various forces are participating in the search and rescue work, including divers, 12 drones and 14 helicopters.
Mr. Patrick sent a message to parents with children participating in the Camp Mystic summer camp, where about 750 children were working when the flood came. As acting governor during Mr. Greg Abbott's leave, Mr. Patrick said that about 20 children had not been identified as missing on July 4 and expressed hope that all the missing people would "be found alive".
Camp Mystic is a summer camp for female students with many other small campuses in the area, attracting thousands of children to participate in the summer. The summer camp currently has no electricity, water or Wi-Fi connection.
Texas declared a state of emergency due to flash flooding in five western counties on July 4 as the Hill Country continued to record heavy rain and severe flooding.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said that rainfall of 130 - 280 mm was recorded in the northwest area of Bandera County, the center of Kerr County, northeast of Tom Green County, Kerr County and Kendall County.
