Search intensifies for missing children after deadly Texas floods

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Helicopters, boats, and drones deployed in frantic search for missing children as the floods kill at least 50 people.

Search intensifies for missing children after catastrophic Texas flood

A sheriff's deputy takes a moment while searching the Guadalupe River banks near Camp Mystic following Saturday's devastating flash flood. [Julio Cortez/AP Photo]

Published On 6 Jul 2025

A devastating flash flood has torn through Texas in the United States, killing dozens, including children, and leaving many others missing.

Search and rescue teams are working around the clock, deploying helicopters, boats, and drones to search for survivors, some stranded on trees and areas isolated by destroyed roads, and to recover victims’ bodies.

Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ summer camp along a river in Kerr County, suffered the most damage, with more than two dozen campers still unaccounted for. The picturesque landscape, with its shallow rivers winding through hills and valleys, creates ideal conditions for deadly flash floods, making it one of the most flood-prone US regions.

In the early hours of July 4, 2025, floodwaters surged through an area about 112km (70 miles) west of San Antonio that houses summer camps and small communities. At least 50 people have been killed so far, while 27 girls from one camp are still missing.

The deluge began when heavy rainfall sent water rushing down hillsides into creeks, which then overwhelmed the Guadalupe River.

By Saturday, rescue personnel searched through a devastated landscape of twisted trees, overturned vehicles, and mud-covered debris in an increasingly urgent effort to find survivors. Authorities have not specified the total number of missing people beyond the children from Camp Mystic.

The powerful floodwaters rose 26 feet (8 metres) on the Guadalupe in just 45 minutes before dawn on Friday, sweeping away homes and vehicles. The rains continued on Saturday, with flash flood warnings and watches remaining in effect.

Search intensifies for missing children after catastrophic Texas flood

Vehicles lie strewn along the Guadalupe River after being swept away by a devastating flash flood. [Julio Cortez/AP Photo]

Search intensifies for missing children after catastrophic Texas flood

People clamber over debris strewn across a bridge spanning the Guadalupe in the aftermath of a devastating flash flood that surged through the area. [Julio Cortez/AP Photo]

Search intensifies for missing children after catastrophic Texas flood

The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 metres) on the Guadalupe in just 45 minutes before daybreak on Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. [Julio Cortez/AP Photo]

Search intensifies for missing children after catastrophic Texas flood

Authorities have not said yet how many people were missing beyond 27 children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County, where most of the dead were recovered. [Julio Cortez/AP Photo]

Search intensifies for missing children after catastrophic Texas flood

Camp Mystic had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to officials. [Julio Cortez/AP Photo]

Search intensifies for missing children after catastrophic Texas flood

The flooding in the middle of the night on the July 4 holiday weekend caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise. [Julio Cortez/AP Photo]

Search intensifies for missing children after catastrophic Texas flood

Authorities have come under increasing scrutiny over whether they issued proper warnings and whether enough preparations were made. [Julio Cortez/AP Photo]

Search intensifies for missing children after catastrophic Texas flood

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, centre, tours Camp Mystic along the banks of the river. [Julio Cortez/AP Photo]

Search intensifies for missing children after catastrophic Texas flood

The weekend disaster echoes a catastrophic flood almost 40 years ago along the Guadalupe. In 1987, a bus and a van leaving a church camp encountered floodwaters, and 10 teenagers drowned trying to escape, according to an NWS summary of that incident. [Julio Cortez/AP Photo]

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