(NewsNation) — At least 43 people — 28 adults and 15 children — are confirmed dead after flash flooding in Central Texas, officials announced Saturday evening as they continued to search for 27 girls who were unaccounted for after their summer camp was overwhelmed by the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.
The missing girls had been staying at Camp Mystic when the level of the nearby river rose more than 20 feet within two hours early Friday.
"Our primary focus is on search and rescue," Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said at a news conference. "We are finding bodies and stuff. We knew today was going to be that day."
Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued so far, including 167 by helicopter. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who issued a disaster declaration for several counties affected by the flooding, said a variety of state personnel and resources would continue to assist local authorities in finding the missing.
“Some were clinging to trees to save their lives," the governor said of people who have been found alive.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who is in Texas, said 1,800 people remain without power. Residents have water, but there is damage to bridges and roads. She planned to visit Camp Mystic, which has become a focal point of the deadly flooding.
Girls from camp unaccounted for
Nearly 750 girls and young women had been staying at Camp Mystic, a Christian camp located near unincorporated Hunt, Texas, that was established a century ago. Most of the attendees were able to get to high ground and escape to safety, but others had been on lower ground at the time of the flash flood and may not have made it.
Family members confirm to KXAN-TV in Austin that “multiple” girls did not survive, but that could not immediately be confirmed. The family of camper Lila Bonner told KXAN on Saturday the girl had been killed. “We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly for others to be spared from this tragic loss,” family members said in a prepared statement.
Officials face increasing scrutiny for the widening tragedy. At the latest news conference, someone asked Rice, the city manager, how the girls could have been allowed to stay at the camp as potential danger grew.
“That’s the question of the hour,” Rice replied.
He said severe-weather reports are not always taken seriously because predictions may not pan out — creating a “cry wolf” scenario. Rice added that the rain that fell Thursday into Friday was “almost double of what was anticipated.”
The National Weather Service had placed the county under a flood watch Thursday night, with a flash flood warning issued around 1 a.m.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly earlier told media outlets that there was no warning regarding the severity of the flood and said the county doesn't have a warning system.
By Friday morning, the Guadalupe River in western Kerr County had reached 29 feet, the second-highest level on record. The river surpassed flooding levels seen in 1987, when floods killed 10 teenagers near Comfort, Texas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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