RIGHT NOW: Over 20 girls missing – major search effort

Texas

Over 20 children missing from summer camp in Texas

Nora Fernstedt

Updated 23.37 | Published 22.51

At least 13 people have died in severe flooding in Texas.

Many are missing – including about 20 girls from a summer camp.

         

         Here houses are floating away in Texas due to heavy flooding: “People in it”

         0:38

Last night, devastating torrential rains hit the US state of Texas.

So far, 13 people have been confirmed dead after the Guadalupe River in Kerr County in southern Texas overflowed its banks. The death toll is likely to rise.

– Remember that this incident is only a few hours old. It's an ongoing situation that's changing all the time, said Lisa Walter, a spokeswoman for Kerr County.

Residents near the river are being urged to evacuate immediately. Rescue efforts and evacuations have been ongoing throughout the morning.

 

The Guadalupe River in Texas has overflowed. Photo: AP

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said at a press conference on Friday that 20 girls are missing from a summer camp near the river.

- In 45 minutes, the water in the Guadalupe River rose 7 meters. It was a devastating flood.

He said he is "praying that all of the missing are found alive."

In total, about 750 girls between the ages of 7 and 17 were at the camp, according to the New York Post. Children and staff were evacuated by helicopter and taken to a nearby school.

A huge search operation has been launched where up to 500 people are looking for the missing. But emergency services are having trouble getting to the summer camp – because the nearby highway has been washed away.

 

Downtown Houston. Photo: Raquel Natalicchio / AP

As much rain has fallen in a few hours as it normally does in several months. In four hours overnight, the water rose almost seven meters, according to the US weather agency NOAA.

One of the victims is Brian Eads, 52, who was separated from his wife when the catastrophic rain hit.

“I have no idea if she made it. We were swept away and then I lost hold of her,” he told the New York Times.

The couple were woken up when water rushed into their trailer. They were picked up by another camper, but the water caused the engine to die not far from there.

Eads and his wife ended up underwater. He tried to swim against her voice but was hit in the head by debris. He then managed to get to land by clinging to a tree.

 

The coastal town of Surfside Beach. Photo: Jon Shapley/AP