At least five girls from a Christian summer camp in Texas were killed and 22 were missing after catastrophic flash flooding tore through the region Friday, devastating the sprawling, 99-year-old Camp Mystic, which has two campuses perched along the Guadalupe River in the San Antonio suburb of Hunt.
The raging river rose more than 26 feet in just 45 minutes, the National Weather Service reported, a level of flooding the area hasn’t seen since 1987.
While most of the girls at the camp, who ranged in age from 7 to 17, were evacuated, some could not be saved. In all, 43 people were killed by flooding in the region, including 15 children.
Camp Mystic officials told parents that if they haven’t been directly contacted to assume their daughters are accounted for and safe, officials cautioned parents not to assume the worst.
“That does not mean they’ve been lost. They could be in a tree. They could be out of communication,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at an initial news conference. “We’re praying for all those missing to be found alive.”
Renee Smajstrla, 9
