Dozens of people have died after heavy rain pounded Kerr County, Texas, early Friday, leading to “catastrophic” flooding, the sheriff said.
Dozens of people have died after heavy rain pounded Kerr County, Texas, early Friday, leading to “catastrophic” flooding, the sheriff said.
The number of deaths due to the flooding in Texas is now at least 78, according to the latest information from state officials.
Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Chief Nim Kidd said during an afternoon press conference with Gov. Greg Abbott in Austin that there were at least 69 people confirmed dead, based on information that was “a few hours hold” at the time they prepared for the conference.
Those numbers included 59 confirmed dead in Kerr County, according to Abbott and Kidd, with 41 missing across the state.
In a separate press conference the began just as Gov. Abbott’s was ending, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said that as of 1:30 p.m. local time, there were 68 dead in the county, including 28 children – nine more Kerr County deaths that previously reported.
Eighteen adults and 10 children are pending identification, according to Leitha.
Leitha added that 10 campers and one counselor at Camp Mystic remain unaccounted for. Earlier Sunday, 11 campers remained unaccounted for. It’s not known if the single camper was found alive or is among the dead.
Gov. Abbott said only people with “specific information” about a missing person should contact officials in order to prevent unnecessary calls from potentially interfering with recovery efforts.