Death toll in central Texas flash floods rises to 78 as sheriff says 10 campers remain missing

KERR COUNTY, Texas -- Families sifted done waterlogged debris Sunday and stepped wrong bare cabins astatine Camp Mystic, an all-girls summertime campy ripped isolated by flash floods that washed homes disconnected their foundations and killed astatine slightest 78 radical successful cardinal Texas.

Rescuers maneuvering done challenging terrain continued their hopeless hunt for the missing, including 10 girls and a counsellor from the camp. For the archetypal clip since the storms began pounding the Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said determination were 41 radical confirmed to beryllium unaccounted for crossed the authorities and much could beryllium missing.

In Kerr County, location to Camp Mystic and different younker camps successful the Texas Hill Country, searchers person recovered the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said successful the afternoon.

He pledged to support searching until "everybody is found" from Friday's flash floods. Four deaths besides were reported successful Travis County, 3 successful Burnet, 2 successful Kendall and 1 each successful Tom Green and Williamson counties.

Families were allowed to look astir the campy opening Sunday morning. One miss walked retired of a gathering carrying a ample bell. A man, who said his girl was rescued from a compartment connected the highest constituent successful the camp, walked a riverbank, looking successful clumps of trees and nether large rocks.

A pistillate and a teenage girl, some wearing rubber waders, concisely went wrong 1 of the cabins, which stood adjacent to a heap of soaked mattresses, a retention trunk and clothes. At 1 point, the brace doubled over, sobbing earlier they embraced.

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One household near with a bluish footlocker. A teenage miss had tears moving down her look looking retired the unfastened window, gazing astatine the wreckage arsenic they dilatory drove away.

While the families saw the devastation for the archetypal time, adjacent crews operating dense instrumentality pulled histrion trunks and tangled branches from the h2o arsenic they searched the river.

With each passing hour, the outlook of uncovering much survivors became adjacent much bleak. Volunteers and immoderate families of the missing who drove to the catastrophe portion searched the riverbanks contempt being asked not to bash so.

Authorities faced increasing questions astir whether capable warnings were issued successful an country agelong susceptible to flooding and whether capable preparations were made.

President Donald Trump signed a large catastrophe declaration Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas. "These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with galore lives lost, and galore inactive missing," Trump posted connected societal media.

The destructive, fast-moving waters roseate 26 feet (8 meters) connected the stream successful lone 45 minutes earlier daybreak Friday, washing distant homes and vehicles. The information was not implicit arsenic flash flood watches remained successful effect and much rainfall fell successful cardinal Texas connected Sunday.

Searchers utilized helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue radical stranded successful trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Officials said much than 850 radical were rescued successful the archetypal 36 hours.

Prayers successful Texas - and from the Vatican

Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that authorities volition enactment astir the timepiece and said caller areas were being searched arsenic the h2o receded. He declared Sunday a time of supplication for the state.

"I impulse each Texan to articulation maine successful supplication this Sunday - for the lives lost, for those inactive missing, for the betterment of our communities, and for the information of those connected the beforehand lines," helium said successful a statement.

In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered peculiar prayers for those touched by the disaster. History's archetypal American pope spoke successful English astatine the extremity of his Sunday noon blessing, "I would similar to explicit sincere condolences to each the families who person mislaid loved ones, successful peculiar their daughters who were successful summertime camp, successful the catastrophe caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River successful Texas successful the United States. We commune for them."

The hills on the Guadalupe River are dotted with century-old younker camps and campgrounds wherever generations of families person travel to aquatics and bask the outdoors. The country is particularly fashionable astir the Independence Day holiday, making it much hard to cognize however galore are missing.

SEE ALSO: Houston-area archetypal responders deploy to assistance with Central Texas flood recovery

Harrowing escapes from floodwaters

Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept distant and clinging to trees arsenic rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics wrong their homes, praying the h2o wouldn't scope them.

At Camp Mystic, a compartment afloat of girls held onto a enactment strung by rescuers arsenic they walked crossed a span with h2o whipping astir their legs.

Among those confirmed dormant were an 8-year-old miss from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was astatine Camp Mystic, and the manager of different campy up the road.

Locals cognize the country arsenic " flash flood alley" but the flooding successful the mediate of the nighttime caught galore campers and residents by astonishment adjacent though determination were warnings.

Warnings came earlier the disaster

The National Weather Service connected Thursday advised of imaginable flooding and past sent retired a bid of flash flood warnings successful the aboriginal hours of Friday earlier issuing flash flood emergencies - a uncommon alert notifying of imminent danger.

At the Mo-Ranch Camp successful the assemblage of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the upwind and opted to determination respective 100 campers and attendees astatine a religion younker league to higher ground. At adjacent Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers besides had mentioned connected societal media that they were watching the upwind the time earlier ending their 2nd summertime league Thursday.

Authorities and elected officials person said they did not expect specified an aggravated downpour, the equivalent of months' worthy of rainfall for the area.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose territory includes the ravaged area, acknowledged that determination would beryllium second-guessing and finger-pointing arsenic radical look for idiosyncratic to blame.

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Adrian Sainz successful Memphis, Tennessee; Cedar Attanasio successful New York; Sophia Tareen successful Chicago; Michelle Price successful Bridgewater, N.J.; and Nicole Winfield successful Rome contributed.