FLASH NEWS
Texas floods death toll rises to 59, 30 children still missing
2025-07-06 17:38:20 / BOTA
The death toll from flash floods in Texas, in the southern United States, has risen to 59, according to a new report from US authorities today, as searches continue to find about 30 children who are still missing.
The force of the water even swept away entire homes, while the water level in the Guadalupe River rose by eight meters in an hour. In fact, citizens complain that the message to leave arrived after the disaster. A video shows citizens running to leave before the water covers them.
The flooding was caused by torrential rains that hit parts of central Texas on Friday, US Independence Day.
"We have identified 43 deaths in Kerr County," including 28 adults and 15 children, county Sheriff Larry Litha said during a press conference.
Litha added that 27 children are still missing, out of about 750 who attended a Christian summer camp for girls on the banks of the Guadalupe River.
The owner and director of Camp Mystic is also dead, according to the city of Kerrville's website, as is the director of another nearby camp.
Four people died in Travis County due to flooding, as well as two in Burnett County. Another person was killed in Tom Green County, local authorities said.
Texas Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd said crews were searching the Guadalupe River by air, land and water for survivors or the dead.
"We will continue searching until all the missing are found," he said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of natural disaster for the state and requested additional resources from the US federal government.
In Kerrville yesterday, the waters of the usually calm Guadalupe River were flooding with force, carrying trees and debris in their path.
“The water reached the height of the trees, about 10 meters or more,” said Gerardo Martinez, a resident of the area. “The river is taking down cars, entire houses,” he added.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said President Donald Trump wants to "modernize the technologies" of weather forecasting and disaster prevention agencies, as the Republican administration faces criticism for significantly cutting funding and cutting hundreds of jobs.
Asked about complaints from residents who said they were not given timely warnings about the flooding, Noem said: "I will present their concerns to the federal government."
According to Dalton Rice, a local official in Kerrville, in some areas the water reached “the level of flooding we have seen in 100 years.” “The forecasts were definitely wrong,” he added, and the amount of rain “was double what was expected.”
At the site of Camp Mystic, the water had mostly receded yesterday, revealing extensive destruction, with cars overturned or swept away by the waters and some stuck in trees. The areas where the girls were housed are destroyed, the floor is covered in mud and windows have been shattered by the force of the water.
About 500 rescuers, assisted by 14 helicopters, have been mobilized to search for survivors and victims, while the National Guard and the Texas Coast Guard have sent reinforcements.
According to authorities, the Guadalupe River rose almost 8 meters on Friday in about 45 minutes, during which "nearly 300 millimeters of rain fell per hour," a third of the average annual rainfall in the county.
Flash floods, caused by torrential rains that the drought-stricken land cannot absorb, are not uncommon. However, according to the scientific community, human-caused climate change has made weather events — such as floods, droughts, and heat waves — more frequent and intense.
In mid-June, 13 people died in flooding in San Antonio, near the area that was hit on Friday due to torrential rains.
Happening now...
America may withdraw from Europe, but not from SPAK
Nga Gentian Gaba
ideas
Who is the Surrel Rabbit?
Nga Sidi Hasanaj
The two wrong paths of the opposition with the Ombudsman
Nga Patrik Sadikaj
top
Alfa recipes
TRENDING 
services
- POLICE129
- STREET POLICE126
- AMBULANCE112
- FIREFIGHTER128