Kerr County officials say at least 68 dead in Texas flooding
UPDATE (3:46 PM): Catastrophic flooding in the town of Kerrville, Texas has claimed at least 68 lives, officials confirmed the latest number in an press conference Sunday afternoon.
40 adults and 28 children were killed in Kerrville, an area of the Hill Country that suffered the worst of the flooding.
"At present, there are 10 Camp Mystic Campers unaccounted for and one counselor. We continue to offer our condolences to those affected and we will work tirelessly until they are reunited them with their families," said Sheriff Larry Leitha with the Kerr County Sheriff's Office.
Still, officials are working to identify multiple adults and children as search and rescue operations continue.
KERR COUNTY, Texas (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - The death toll from the flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas continues to rise.
Kerr County officials said Sunday at least 59 people, 38 adults and 21 children, are dead.
11 children from Camp Mystic remain unaccounted for, along with one camp counselor.
Of the 38 adults who were recovered, 18 are awaiting identification. Four children are also pending identification.
"At present, there's over 400 first responders for more than 20 agencies that are working in Kerr County. We have more than a dozen K9 working in and near the river. More than 100 air water and ground vehicles are in the field right now working on this search and rescue," said Sheriff Larry Leitha with the Kerr County Sheriff's Office.
During a press conference, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice avoided questions on whether emergency alerts were sent about flash floods and why people weren't evacuated.
"We want to make sure that we continue to focus. We still have 11 missing children that we want to get reunited with our families. Until we can get reunited with the families, we are not going to stop, we are not going to stop until we do," Rice spoke.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County Sunday, giving first responders access to necessary resources as they continue to work on search and recovery efforts.
