By Jessica Schladebeck
New York Daily News
KERR COUNTY, Texas — The search continued on Saturday for more than 20 young girls who went missing after intense rainfall rapidly overwhelmed the Guadalupe River in Texas , flooding Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls started nearly 100 years ago.
Search crews continued to scour the area surrounding the camp in Kerr County, tucked in a region known as Hill Country some 60 miles northwest of San Antonio. They’ve been using helicopters, boats and drones in their quest to locate victims and rescue any survivors stranded in the flood waters, which have so far killed 24 people.
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None of the missing girls’ names have been released.
Camp Mystic , founded in 1926, was hosting more than 750 girls when waters along the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes in the early-hours of Friday morning. Homes were swept from their foundations and vehicles washed away, with a threat of severe weather still lingering over the state.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at the peak, around 4 a.m. Friday, rain was falling as fast as 12 inches an hour.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service said there was the potential for additional catastrophic flooding and heavy rainfall on Saturday, given the storm’s slow craw across the state.
“Over a foot of rain has fallen overnight. Streams have rapidly risen and floodwaters are beginning to move downstream in Burnet, Williamson, and northwest Travis counties,” National Weather Service Austin/San Anotnio said on X Saturday. “Numerous water rescues are ongoing. Seek higher ground immediately if you are near a swelling stream.”
It’s remained unclear exactly how many people were unaccounted for as of Saturday morning. One police officer said as many as 24 children were missing from Camp Mystic, which bills itself as a place for girls to grow spiritually and “develop outstanding personal qualities and self-esteem.” In an email to parents obtained by NBC News, camp officials said they would be contacted directly if their child was among the missing.
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