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The death toll continues to climb in the Texas Hill Country following catastrophic flash flooding that swept through Camp Mystic, a private Christian Bible camp for girls along the Guadalupe River.
As of Saturday afternoon, at least 27 people are confirmed dead, including nine children, according to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha.
Among the victims are four campers who were swept away during the early morning flooding on Thursday:
Renee Smajstrla, 8; Sarah Marsh, 8; Janie Hunt, 9; and Lila Bonner as reported by the New York Post.
“Renee has been found, and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly,” her uncle, Shawn Salta, wrote in a Facebook post.
“She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic.” Salta added that he and his family were trying to return home from Italy to be with loved ones.
Camp Mystic was reportedly in the process of evacuation when floodwaters rose sharply in the early hours of Thursday morning. The Guadalupe River surged more than 20 feet in under two hours, overtaking cabins, some of which showed water lines above the windows. Dozens of campers were caught between the river and the camp’s cliffside location, according to CNN.
“There was nowhere for these kids to go,” said Nick Sorter of the United Cajun Navy, a volunteer rescue group assisting on the ground. “The buildings were washed out, just carved from the inside.”
Rescue efforts have been slowed by thick debris in the river and low-hanging clouds that have grounded helicopters, he told CNN.
Rescue teams are now using Starlink internet systems to restore communication in areas where cell towers and radios have failed. Still, the situation remains dire: over 20 campers are still missing, and the window for rescue is narrowing.
In one incredible rescue, a young girl survived being swept 12 miles downstream by clinging to a tree until help arrived. “It’s remarkable she survived. That’s nothing short of a miracle,” said Sorter.
Families and community in mourning
Family members of Sarah Marsh and Lila Bonner have confirmed their deaths to CNN, asking for privacy during their grief. In a Facebook post, Alabama Senator Katie Britt wrote she is “heartbroken over the loss of Sarah Marsh” and expressed condolences to her family.
“As a mom whose daughter spent beautiful summers there, I can hardly breathe thinking about the unthinkable,” wrote Kendra Ward in a public Facebook post. “We see you. We cry with you. And we lift your babies and your broken hearts up in prayer.”
Federal response and scale of damage
More than 850 people have been rescued so far, according to local officials. The Trump administration has pledged emergency resources to assist in the recovery effort. Some residents along the river lost everything; homes near the banks were “swept off their foundations,” Sorter reported.
The rainfall was described by meteorologists as a one-in-100-years event, with some areas seeing nearly 17 cm (6.5 inches) in under three hours.
As families wait for news, the community is holding fast to prayer and shared grief.