Deadly flash flood in Texas "She will live on in our hearts forever": Family mourns 8-year-old Sarah
It rained heavily in the US state of Texas early on Friday morning.
Image: KEYSTONE
The Guadalupe River rose rapidly due to heavy rainfall and triggered a devastating flood.
Image: KEYSTONE
At least 50 people, including children, died in severe flooding in Texas. Many people are missing.
Image: KEYSTONE
A summer camp was also flooded.
Image: KEYSTONE
Many children from "Camp Mystic" are still missing.
Image: KEYSTONE
The full extent of the disaster is unclear.
Image: KEYSTONE
It rained heavily in the US state of Texas early on Friday morning.
Image: KEYSTONE
The Guadalupe River rose rapidly due to heavy rainfall and triggered a devastating flood.
Image: KEYSTONE
At least 50 people, including children, died in severe flooding in Texas. Many people are missing.
Image: KEYSTONE
A summer camp was also flooded.
Image: KEYSTONE
Many children from "Camp Mystic" are still missing.
Image: KEYSTONE
The full extent of the disaster is unclear.
Image: KEYSTONE
Severe flooding has shaken Texas: at least 52 people have died and numerous children from a summer camp are still missing.
05.07.2025, 05:16
06.07.2025, 11:53
SDA
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- At least 50 people have died in severe flooding in Texas and many, including girls from a summer camp, are still missing.
- The Guadalupe River rose rapidly due to heavy rainfall, triggering a devastating flood.
- Rescue workers are searching tirelessly while a state of disaster has been declared.
The number of deaths in the flash floods in the US state of Texas has risen to 52, according to authorities, writes theNew York Times(NYT). Many children from a summer camp are still missing. The search continued a day after the heavy flooding began.
The full extent of the disaster is unclear. More than 850 people were rescued unharmed, while eight people were injured, according to the authorities on Saturday morning. Residents had saved themselves by climbing trees to avoid being swept away by the floods.
Many Americans used the rural area in the south of the USA to camp by rivers over the long weekend. The heavy flooding since Friday morning took many by surprise.
About 750 girls had been attending a summer camp - "Camp Mystic" - on the banks of the Guadalupe River when the water level rose eight feet within 45 minutes on Friday and the river overflowed its banks.
"We have recovered 43 bodies in Kerr County. That includes 28 adults and 15 children," said Sheriff Larry Leitha at his latest press briefing on Saturday.
"An unimaginable loss"
One girl who did not survive the flash flood is 8-year-old Sarah from Mountain Brook. She was attending summer camp, a Christian camp near Hunt in Kerr County.
In a statement posted online, Stewart Welch, the mayor of Mountain Brook, a suburb of Birmingham, confirmed that Sarah was among the victims of the flooding and said the city was deeply shocked, according to theNew York Times(NYT).
"This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school and our entire community," he wrote. "Sarah's death is a pain we all share, and our thoughts are with those who knew and loved her."
Sarah's grandmother posted on Facebook, "We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful, spirited ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever!"
9-year-old Janie from Dallas also attended "Camp Mystic" and died in the flash flood. Her grandmother confirmed this to the NYT.
It was her first time at camp. Six of Janie's cousins were also at the camp and they all survived, the grandmother added.
Trump: "Melania and I are praying"
US President Donald Trump posted on the Truth Social platform on Saturday morning: "Melania and I are praying for all the families affected by this terrible tragedy." And: "GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!" Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem came to Texas and promised more help.
Parents of missing children from the summer camp were very worried. Local television showed photos of a girl or a family who were missing.
Due to the US Independence Day on Friday, numerous people had camped near the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, the authorities said.
"Disastrous flash flood" surprises campers
It had started raining heavily in the area early Friday morning. According to the authorities, it is not unusual for rivers to burst their banks in the area, which is popular for summer camps. However, the scale was unusual.
The Guadalupe River rose by almost eight meters in a very short space of time in the early hours of the morning, said Deputy Governor Dan Patrick. There was talk of a "disastrous flash flood". Many felt reminded of a similar flash flood in the 1980s. It also rained on Saturday.
The floods destroyed infrastructure and knocked down electricity pylons. Many people in the region still had no electricity.
Some of the bodies were found in cars that had been washed away. The situation was confusing, there was no electricity and no internet, according to reports. Television images showed cars being swept away, trees uprooted and houses under water.
