As floodwaters begin to recede across parts of Texas, authorities have started to learn the names of the victims who lost their lives in the flash floods after days of relentless rain submerged neighbourhoods, swept away homes, and left entire counties underwater.
Among those confirmed dead are four children, Renee Smajstrla, Sarah Marsh, Janie Hunt, and Lila Bonner, who lost their lives after floods hit Camp Mystic.
According to AP, state officials said 23 to 25 girls from Camp Mystic, a riverside Christian camp in Hunt, Texas, still were unaccounted for." I'm asking the people of Texas to do some serious praying," Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said. "On-your-knees kind of praying that we find these young girls.”
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By Friday afternoon, Texas Game Wardens had arrived at Camp Mystic and evacuated campers. A rope was tied so girls could hang on as they walked across a bridge, the floodwaters rushing around their knees.
Texas flood: Victims identified till now
Some 36 hours after the floods, authorities still have not said how many people were missing beyond 27 children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County, where most of the dead were recovered.
{{/usCountry}}Some 36 hours after the floods, authorities still have not said how many people were missing beyond 27 children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County, where most of the dead were recovered.
{{/usCountry}}Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said the bodies of 32 people had been recovered so far in the devastated Hill Country: 18 adults and 14 children.
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The number of victims climbed as more rain continued around Austin, and a massive search continued in the nearby Hill Country. At least three people died and 10 others were missing in Travis County, home to the state's capital.
Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was staying at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp just up the road.
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Renee Smajstrla, Sarah Marsh, Janie Hunt, and Lila Bonner were identified as the four children who lost their lives after floods hit Camp Mystic.
Jane Ragsdale, the director and co-owner of Heart O' the Hills Camp for Girls in Hunt, was also officially declared dead.
Camp Mystic co-owner Richard “Dick” Eastland has also been confirmed dead.