Nearly two dozen girls at a Christian summer camp are missing \u2014 and potentially dead \u2014 after their cabins were apparently washed away by \u201ccatastrophic\u201d and fatal flooding in Texas that has left at least 13 people dead, officials announced Friday.<\/p>\n
Around 20\u00a0children are unaccounted for at Camp Mystic alongside the Guadalupe River in Hunt, a suburb of San Antonio\u00a0in Kerr County, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at a news conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat does not mean they\u2019ve been lost. They could be in a tree. They could be out of communication. We\u2019re praying for all those missing to be found alive,\u201d Patrick said.<\/p>\n
So far, at least 13 people are dead in Kerr County, and several are missing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s still several people unaccounted for right now, at this point, but we\u2019re working really hard. And we\u2019re going to continue. This is probably going to be a couple of day process,\u201d Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha warned. <\/p>\n
The all-girls sleep-away camp was evacuated overnight as the area was hit with up to 10 inches of rain, but some of the campers were left behind.<\/p>\n
Texas Camp Mystic, a girls-only camp on the Guadalupe River, had to be evacuated overnight due to flooding.<\/a> KSATtv<\/p>\n Some cabins were reportedly flooded and others washed away, with the surrounding roads suffering a washout.<\/p>\n Some of the children have been located and are stranded, but \u201cabout 23\u201d of the 750 Mystic campers were still unaccounted for, Patrick estimated.<\/p>\n Up to 500 rescue workers and 18 helicopters are scouring the area for survivors, Patrick said. The state also deployed 40 helicopters, 12 drones and nine dive and rescue teams earlier Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cI want all of you to know we will do everything humanly possible. Twenty-four-seven, looking at every tree, turning over every rock, whatever it takes \u2014 if your child is one of those truly missing and not just out of touch \u2014 to find your daughter,\u201d Patrick vowed.<\/p>\n Camp staff sent out an email to families informing them of the tragedy, and that the camp lost power, water and Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have not been personally contacted, then your daughter is accounted for,\u201d said the horrifying email,\u00a0obtained by KSAT.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe are working with search and rescue currently. The highway has washed away so we are struggling to get more help.\u201d<\/p>\n 23 children remain unaccounted for after the deadly floods alongside the Guadalupe River. AP<\/p>\n Camp Mystic is a Christian summer camp for girls in Hunt between the ages of 7 and 17.<\/p>\n Patrick urged parents not to rush to the camp because of the dangerous conditions, but promised buses would bring the rescued girls to reconnect with their families as soon as they are found.<\/p>\n \u201cI know if it were one of my children, I would be tempted to want to drive there from Houston as well, but we\u2019re asking people to stay away from the areas,\u201d Patrick said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll find a point, and we\u2019ll announce it at that time, where you can be reunited with your child and hug them. Hug them hard because you know they\u2019re frightened.\u201d<\/p>\n Trees stand partially submerged after storms caused massive flooding from the swollen Guadalupe River. Michael Moad via REUTERS<\/p>\n Children at other surrounding camps were also accounted for.<\/p>\n Those at Camp La Junta, an all-boys camp also at the lake when the flood started, were \u201csafe and accounted for,\u201d according to its Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Patrick did admit, however, that some of the campers could be among the young bodies that rescuers found during the flood searches.<\/p>\n An undisclosed number of bodies, both adult and child, were discovered Friday, including some inside cars and others that washed out from the river.<\/p>\n State officials declined to reveal the preliminary death toll, claiming that the numbers would continue to change as missing people were recovered.<\/p>\n At least six people were killed, officials told the Austin American-Statesman.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tKeep up with today\u2019s most important news\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStay up on the very latest with Evening Update.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Gov. Greg Abbott described the situation as \u201cdevastating flooding\u201d across Hill County and the Concho Valley.<\/p>\n The portion of the Guadalupe River near Hunt reached its second-highest level on record amid the flash flooding emergency, according to the National Weather Service.<\/p>\n Rainfall is expected to continue to fall, which will contribute to continued flooding.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is an ongoing threat for possible flash flooding from San Antonio to Waco for the next 24 to 48 hours, in addition to the continued risks in west and central Texas,\u201d Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a statement.<\/p>\n Water rises from severe flooding along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas on Friday, July 4, 2025. AP<\/p>\n \u201cI urge Texans in impacted areas to heed the guidance of their local officials.\u201d<\/p>\n An evacuation order was issued for Kerr County, with residents ordered to move to higher ground.<\/p>\n All Kerr County residents who live near the Guadalupe River have been asked to evacuate their homes and move to higher ground.<\/p>\n The state deployed 40 helicopters, 12 drones and nine dive and rescue teams, as well as 500 people on the ground.<\/p>\n The Texas National Guard was activated Thursday night, and is orchestrating helicopter searches throughout Hunt and Kerrville.<\/p>\n The US Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are also assisting.<\/p>\n President Trump has been notified and the White House has been in touch several times to relay that \u201cwhatever we need, we will have,\u201d Patrick said, according to CNN<\/a>. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t