The death toll in the flash flood along the Guadalupe River in Texas has jumped to 43, with officials saying on Saturday night that the victims include 28 adults and 15 children in Kerr County.
At least five of the dead— Renee Smajstrla, 8; Sarah Marsh, 8; Janie Hunt, 9; Lila Bonner, 9; and Eloise Peck, 8 — who were attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls. Authorities say 22 other campers are still missing. Heartbroken parents are holding onto hope that their missing children will be found safe, as officials insist that efforts in the aftermath of the catastrophic flooding are still focused on rescue rather than recovery.
Devastated Parents Holding Onto Hope
Several families took to social media to share the devastating updates. "Thank you to all our friends and family for all the prayers and outreach. Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly," Renee's uncle wrote on Facebook along with a picture of the young girl beaming.
"We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday. She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic. Please continue to pray for the other families in Kerrville."
Sarah, from Mountain Brook, Alabama, was also confirmed dead, according to her mother, who spoke with The New York Post. "Our sweet Sarah is gone!" her grandmother, Debbie Ford Marsh, wrote Saturday.
"We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever! We love you so much sweet Sarah!"
Lila's family also confirmed her death in a statement shared with NBC News, expressing their heartbreak as "unimaginable grief" and adding, "We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly."
According to Fox 4, Lila and Eloise were not only best friends but also shared a cabin at Camp Mystic. Both girls had recently completed second grade at Bradfield Elementary School.
"Eloise was literally friends with everyone. She loved spaghetti but not more than she loved dogs and animals," her mom Missy Peck told the network. "Eloise had a family who loved her fiercely for the 8 years she was with us. Especially her Mommy."
Death Toll Surging
Texas officials have declined to confirm the identities of those who are dead or missing, citing the need to respect the privacy of grieving families. Authorities reported that 12 adults and five children remain unidentified. A follow-up press conference is scheduled for Sunday morning.
The family of Camp Mystic director Dick Eastland confirmed that he died heroically while trying to rescue young girls from the floodwaters.
Eastland rushed to one of the camp's 23 cabins just as it was swept away by the rising water early Friday morning, according to Channel2Now.
Another camp director, Jane Ragsdale of Heart O' The Hills Camp —about a mile north of Camp Mystic — also lost her life in the flood. Although the camp was not in session, Ragsdale was present on the grounds when the waters rapidly surged.
"We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful," the camp wrote on its Facebook Page.
"There are so many great people in this community that are responding and moving quickly, lives lost saving people, like camp directors. I'm going to let other people name names and stuff. That's not my job here," said Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville.
As many as 27 girls from Camp Mystic were swept away by the powerful floodwaters early Friday morning, including several who were inside cabins that were carried away.
Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old overnight camp, has been running for 99 years and hosts over 750 girls aged 7 to 17. It operates across two locations along the Guadalupe River. "The camp was completely destroyed," Elinor Lester, 13, one of the evacuated campers, told The Associated Press.
"A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary."
On Saturday, Governor Greg Abbott expanded the disaster declaration he issued the day before by including six additional counties — Bexar, Burnet, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Travis, and Williamson — raising the total number of affected counties to 21.
The State of Texas has deployed over 1,000 state personnel, along with more than 800 vehicles and equipment units. Over 15 state agencies are actively involved in responding to the widespread flooding across the state.
