At least 82 dead in Texas floods as search continues for 10 missing girls
At least 82 people have died in flash flooding in Texas as the search continues for dozens still missing.
At least 41 people remain missing, including at least 10 girls and one councillor still unaccounted for from Camp Mystic in Kerr County, a Christian summer camp for girls along the Guadalupe River.
At Camp Mystic at least 27 people died, the camp confirmed in a statement to Sky’s US partner NBC News. It said it is working with local and state officials to try to locate those who remain missing.
“This tragedy has devastated us and our entire community. Our hearts are broken alongside the families that are enduring this tragedy, and we share their hope and prayers,” Camp Mystic added.
A man helping with the search for missing campers reacts while stopping on the road near Camp Mystic. Pic: AP/Julio Cortez
Rescue workers are seen on land and a boat as they search for missing people near Camp Mystic. Pic: AP/Julio Cortez
A person removes bedding from sleeping quarters at Camp Mystic. Pic: AP/Julio Cortez
The director of the camp, Dick Eastland, was among those killed in the floods. He died trying to save the campers “he so loved and cared for”, his grandson George said on social media.
Water burst from the banks of the Guadalupe River and began sweeping into Kerr County and other areas around 4am local time on Friday, killing at least 68 people, including at least 28 children and 40 adults.
In nearby Kendall County, two people have died. At least six people were killed in Travis County, while at least four people died in Burnet County. In both Williamson and Tom Green counties, at least one person has died.
US President Donald Trump has signed a “major disaster declaration” for Kerr County to ensure that rescuers get the resources they need.
Read more:
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A map showing the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, which burst from heavy rain and caused flash flooding
Vehicles ride through a flooded road, following flash flooding, in Hunt, Texas. Pic: Reuters/Marco Bello
Officials ride a boat as they arrive to assist with a recovery effort at Camp Mystic. Pic: AP/Julio Cortez
Rescue crews have already saved hundreds of people and would work around the clock to find those still unaccounted for, Texas governor Greg Abbott pledged, adding that there were at least 41 people confirmed to be missing.
Mr Abbott asked relatives of people who may have been camping in Kerr County to contact local authorities, as it was difficult to know just who is missing due to the number of people who may have been camping in the area unofficially.
“There are people who are missing who are not on the ‘known confirmed missing’ because we do not know who they are,” he said at a news conference last night.
Meanwhile, police are collecting DNA from family members to help identify those who have died in the floods.
A military helicopter flies by over the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area. Pic: AP/Julio Cortez
A vehicle rests against vegetation near a cabin, following flash flooding, in Hunt, Texas. Pic: Reuters/Marco Bello
Colonel Freeman Martin, from the Texas Department of Public Safety, said there are several “unidentified” people at funeral homes, both adults and children.
The DNA collected from relatives was flown to the University of North Texas in Dallas.
“We will have rapid DNA in hours, not days, to get some closure and information back to those families,” Colonel Freeman Martin said.
He also said the death toll is certain to rise over the next few days.
A vehicle pulled from the water after the deadly flooding in Kerrville, Texas. Pic: Reuters/Sergio Flores
Rescuers paddle an inflatable boat as they search along a waterway following flash flooding, in Kerrville. Pic: Reuters/Marco Bello
This comes as Mr Abbott indicated that the danger wasn’t over yet either, as additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more “rapid flash flooding events”, especially in places already saturated.
The governor urged drivers to be “extraordinarily cautious” for the next 48 hours due to the potential floods, as some people across Texas died when they were swept away in vehicles.
“Rising water on roads can occur very rapidly. You may think you can drive through it, only to find out when you’re in there that it is too late and you are getting swept away,” he said.
“You don’t need to get from point A to point B if you are going to risk your life,” he added, telling people to “turn around, don’t drown”.
There are 161 people still missing in Texas in the aftermath of last weekend’s deadly flash floods, the state’s governor has said.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, governor Gregg Abbot said the number of missing had risen markedly.
He said among the missing were five children and one counsellor from Camp Mystic – where at least 27 people were killed in the flash flooding.
At least 109 people are confirmed to have died in the floods, which took place on the 4 July weekend, but this figure has been steadily climbing ever since.
People comforted each other in Kerville. Pic: Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP
The bulk of deaths, and the main search for additional bodies, have been concentrated in Kerr County and the city of Kerrville.
The area was transformed into a disaster zone when torrential rains struck the region early last Friday, unleashing deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River.
Travis County, Kendall County, Burnett County, Williamson County, and Tom Green County were also hit.
Mr Abbot said many of those who were unaccounted for were in the Texas Hill Country area, but had not registered at a camp or hotel, posing further challenges for authorities.
Camp Mystic
Mr Abbot planned to make another visit to Camp Mystic.
The century-old all-girls Christian summer camp was badly hit by the flash floods, with at least 27 campers and counsellors dying.
Hanna Lawrence, left, and Rebecca Lawrence, right. Pic: John Lawrence/AP
Lila Bonner (L) and Eloise Peck both died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic, Texas. Pic: Family handout
Chloe Childress. Pic: Debra Alexander Photography via AP
Some of the victims include Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence, both eight, Chloe Childress, 19, who was among the counsellors at Camp Mystic when the flood hit, and Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner, both nine.
There were scenes of devastation at the camp as the flood water receded.
Outside the cabins where the girls had slept, mud-splattered blankets and pillows were scattered.
Also in the debris were pink, purple and light blue luggage, decorated with stickers.
A view inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after the flooding. Pic: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
Camper’s belongings lie on the ground following flooding on the Guadalupe River, at Camp Mystic.
Pic: Reuters
‘Everything looked flooded and broken’
One of the campers, 10-year-old Lucy Kennedy, told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that she woke up to the sound of thunder at around midnight before the floods struck.
“I couldn’t go back to sleep,” she said. “I just had a feeling that something really bad was about to happen.”
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She said the girls at the camp were told to grab blankets, pillows and water bottles and line up single file as the floodwater rose, before getting airlifted to safety.
Wynne Kennedy, Lucy’s mother, added: “When I saw her, she was wrapped up in a blanket, had a teddy bear.
“We just held each other tight, and I held her all night.”
Their home in Kerrville was also destroyed by the flash floods.
Lucy Kennedy, 10 who was rescued from Camp Mystic, and her mother Wynne. Pic: NBC
Political row
Meanwhile, a political row has unfolded parallel to the recovery efforts, with some questioning whether local authorities sent out warnings and alerts early enough.
Similarly, Democrats have criticised Donald Trump over cuts his Elon Musk-launched Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has made to the National Weather Service – but it isn’t clear whether these actually made any difference.
Read more:
Sisters killed in Texas flooding found holding hands
Why did deadly Texas floods catch people by surprise?
Wall of water
The flash floods erupted before daybreak on Friday, after massive amounts of rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to rise by eight metres in less than an hour.
The wall of water overwhelmed cabins, tents and trails along the river’s edge.
Some survivors were found clinging to trees.
Some of the campers had to swim out of their cabin windows to get to safety, while others clung to rope to make it to higher ground.
The date for Sean “Diddy” Combs’s sentencing hearing has been confirmed.
Following his high-profile trial, the hip-hop mogul was found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution by jurors in Manhattan, New York, last week – but was cleared of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
Defence lawyers argued Combs, who has been in prison in Brooklyn since his arrest in September last year, should be bailed ahead of sentencing given the not guilty verdicts for the more serious charges, but Judge Arun Subramanian denied this – citing, among other things, the rapper’s own admissions of previous violent behaviour.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in court after the verdict was delivered. Pic: Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg
The charges of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy carried a potential life sentence. Combs still faces up to 20 years in prison for the prostitution-related offences, but is not expected to receive the maximum punishment.
After the verdict was delivered, the judge scheduled the sentencing hearing for 3 October. At a remote follow-up conference on Tuesday, with agreement from the defence and prosecution, the judge approved the date.
Combs joined the call but did not make any comment.
Any sentence will include credit for time already served – which will be just over a year by the time the hearing takes place.
During his trial, Combs was accused by prosecutors of abusing and coercing three alleged victims, including his former long-term partner, singer and model Cassie Ventura.
Jurors found the allegations did not amount to sex-trafficking or racketeering, or running a criminal enterprise – but they did find him guilty of transporting Cassie and another former girlfriend “Jane” for prostitution offences around the US, and paying male escorts to engage in sexual encounters.
Despite the guilty verdict on those charges, the 55-year-old’s team described it as “the victory of all victories”.
Read more:
How the trial unfolded
The rise and fall of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
In an interview over the weekend, defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo said Combs had received a standing ovation from fellow inmates when he returned to jail after being acquitted of the more serious charges.
“They all said, ‘We never get to see anyone who beats the government’,” he said.
Ahead of sentencing, Combs’s lawyers will file their recommendations by 19 September, with prosecutors likely to follow a week later.
Prosecutors previously said the rapper could face about four to five years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, while the defence has suggested a two-year sentence.
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