Storm floods left 13 dead and 23 missing girls in the US state, announced local authorities on Friday (4). Videos published on social networks show houses and trees dragged by the sudden flood after heavy rains hit the state center at dawn. “We identified 13 dead,” Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a news conference. He warned that the number of victims may be higher. Some of them were minors, according to Texas deputy governor Dan Patrick. Twenty -three girls were missing at the Camp Mystic Summer Camp near the Guadalupe River, whose waters climbed eight meters in 45 minutes, he said. “They can be on a tree, without communication.” About 500 rescuers and 14 helicopters were mobilized to the region. Texas National Guard has sent rescue teams and the United States Coastal Guard collaborates in operations.
At the scene, where about 750 people were camped to enjoy the prolonged holiday, there was no electricity, water or Wi-Fi connection due to the rains, according to the message of the camp director read by the deputy governor. State and local authorities advised residents not to travel through the Rio region, where dozens of roads were “impassable”. Texas governor Greg Abbott released a video on network X in which a victim is rescued from the top of a tree by a suspended rescuer of a helicopter, while the waters roar below. “Air rescue missions like this are being held 24 hours a day. We will not stop until everyone appears,” he said.
The weather service issued a flood alert to the south-central of Kerr County and asked residents to avoid traveling and look for higher areas. In mid -June, at least ten people died in flooding caused by heavy rainfall in the city of San Antonio, about 150 km south of Kerr County.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Sarah Paula
