No fewer than 27 persons have been confirmed dead and dozens of others displaced following a flash flooding that has swept through Kerr County in Texas, the United States.
A breakdown of the casualties indicated that 18 were adults, while nine others were children who were swept away by the flood that ravaged the city.
Aside from the casualties, 850 residents of the county have been rescued uninjured, while the number of missing persons is yet to be ascertained.
The Kerrville City Manager, Dalton Rice, who confirmed the number of causalities to newsmen on Saturday, disclosed that 27 children were missing from Camp Mystic, a camp located on the Guadalupe River.
Rice, who claimed that the emergency officials do not have the accurate number of missing people outside that, added that operations are ongoing and rescue officials were intensifying searches in dangerous terrain.
Rice, meanwhile, cautioned the people against embarking on individual searches around the flood zones, saying the search and rescue operations were still ongoing.
He added that there were grief counselors who had been deployed for families that needed support, and that shelters were operating for residents to gather pending when the tides subsided.
Rice stated that emergency officials were still trying to determine how many tourists and visitors were unaccounted for after the flood occurred in the city.
Earlier, pictures from the city showed how the deep flood waters swamped bridges and fast-moving water swirling down roads.
An eyewitness, Bud Bolton, recounted the moment floodwaters swept through a recreational vehicle (RV) park in Kerrville.
“(They were) caught inside that RV, and that RV’s floating away. And kids are screaming, and you can’t do anything for them.”
Another resident, Thomas Rux, told newsmen that he was woken by thunder and rain and then told to evacuate by the fire department late in the night. Moments later, his vehicle was swept away by the aggressive floodwaters.
Restaurant owner Lorena added: “It’s total devastation. Helicopters are flying in, rescuing people trapped in trees. It’s bad.”
Following the huge impact, the government has declared a state of emergency in several counties where several roads have been washed away and phone lines are down.
US President Donald Trump called the tragedy “shocking” and “terrible,” as the White House pledged additional assistance.
