Race against time after flash flood in Texas

Following the flood disaster in the US state of Texas, the number of recovered victims has exceeded the sad mark of 100: According to authorities, 84 bodies have been recovered so far in the worst-affected area of Kerr County alone, including 28 of children. In addition, at least 17 have died in neighboring counties.

Hundreds of people continue searching for missing people with helicopters, boats, and sniffer dogs. They will remain on the scene until "the last child and the last adult" are found, said Jake Stovall, founder of the rescue service Gulf Search and Rescue . "We try to find everyone alive, and if we find them dead, we recover them respectfully and with dignity."

Search and rescue operations on the Guadalupe River in Texas — Search and rescue operations near the river . Image: Eli Hartman/AP Photo/picture alliance

There's no hard and fast rule for when to officially transition from rescue to recovery, explained Chris Boyer of the National Association for Search and Rescue . "You don't want to use the word 'recovery' too early, but you also don't want to raise false hopes." Flood survivors are usually found quickly, even if they've been swept away for miles by the water. However, it can take many months to recover all the bodies. Some may never be found, Boyer added.

River level rose sharply

Following heavy rainfall, the water level of the Guadalupe River rose by eight meters within 45 minutes on Friday night. Many people were camping in the popular holiday region for the US Independence Day holiday (July 4th). A Christian summer camp, which housed around 750 girls at the time of the flood, was also flooded.

USA | Texas Floods — View of a building of the destroyed "Camp Mystic" Image: Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency/imago images

Among the dead are at least 27 participants and counselors from Camp Mystic. Eleven people from the camp—ten participants and one counselor—were still missing at the latest. The number of victims is likely to continue to rise.

"Disgusting lie" about Trump

US President Donald Trump plans to visit the disaster area on Friday, the White House confirmed. The administration rejected allegations that his cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (NOAA) had weakened the warning systems. Blaming Trump for the floods is a "disgusting lie" and serves "no purpose in this time of national mourning," said his spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

wa/fab (afp, dpa)