久久av综合,国产a级精品,美女福利视频一区

最新高清中文字幕免费mv,国产一二级视频,亚洲成人教育av,秋霞午夜影院,婷婷69,亚洲一区国产二区,亚洲欧洲日韩国产

At least 25 dead, around two dozens missing in central Texas flooding

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2025-07-05 16:10:45

HOUSTON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 25 people had been confirmed dead, and 23 to 25 girls attending a riverside summer camp were still missing following major flash flooding in central Texas, the United States, authorities reported Friday night.

TRAGEDY STRIKES

The total number of missing people remains unclear. On the Facebook page of the Kerr County Sheriff's Office, locals shared photos of missing loved ones, pleading for help in locating them.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed at a press conference on Friday night that, in addition to the 24 deaths in Kerr County, 23 to 25 girls from Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls, were still unaccounted for. The camp typically hosts around 750 children each year.

Kendall County, located nearby, also reported one death on Friday due to the flooding.

Video footage showed vehicles, campers and mobile homes being swept away as the Guadalupe River surged through the county. Bodies were discovered in cars that had been carried downstream from upstream areas.

The central Texas Hill Country, where many camps are located, draws thousands of young people annually, many of whom pay high fees to attend, according to the Houston Chronicle. Texas authorities said that no other camps along the Guadalupe River were reporting missing campers, after nearly 20 camps in the region had been contacted for updates.

RESCUE EFFORTS UNDERWAY

By Friday night, 237 individuals had been rescued, with 167 of those saved by helicopter, according to Texas Adjutant General Major General Thomas Suelzer.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick reported that at least 14 helicopters, 12 drones, and more than 500 personnel had joined the ongoing rescue efforts.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed on Friday night that search and rescue operations would persist throughout the night, describing the situation as an "extraordinary catastrophe."

"They will continue in the darkness of night. They will be taking place when the sun rises in the morning. They will be non-stop," Abbott told a press conference.

Governor Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 14 counties, including the hardest-hit Kerr County.

U.S. President Donald Trump described the flooding as "terrible" and "shocking," vowing federal aid to assist in recovery efforts.

"It's terrible. The floods? It's shocking. They don't know the answer yet as to how many people, but it looks like some young people have died," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to his New Jersey golf club.

THE FLOODING

The Guadalupe River in Kerr County saw its water levels rise from 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) to a staggering 29.5 feet (9 meters) within just three hours early Friday morning, reaching the second-highest level on record, according to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS).

At 4 a.m. local time (0900 GMT), the NWS issued an upgraded flash flood warning, triggering wireless emergency alerts for residents and campers along the river. However, some locals reported not having received the alert.

"The water's moving so fast, you're not going to recognize how bad it is until it's on top of you," said Bob Fogarty, a meteorologist with the NWS's Austin/San Antonio office.

"This situation has evolved very quickly," said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice. "Despite flood warnings, despite everything going on, there were some things that happened very fast."

Rice mentioned that many people were caught off-guard, with many still asleep when the floodwaters rapidly surged down the river.

Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said Friday that the NWS's earlier forecast had underestimated the amount of rainfall that contributed to the catastrophic flooding in the region.

Texas has already experienced several severe flooding incidents this year, and the United States as a whole saw a record number of flash flood emergencies in 2024, according to AccuWeather.