π Heartbreaking: These Are the Young Girls Lost Forever in the Historic Texas Flood β A Gallery No One Wanted to See ποΈ
Dozens of photos. Dozens of innocent smiles. All now part of a tragedy that has shaken Texas to its core.
As the historic flood swept through Camp Mystic, it left behind unimaginable loss. These images β shared by grieving families β are a painful tribute to the young lives stolen far too soon.
π· Each photo tells a story. Each face, a dream that will never come true.
At least five girls were killed and several missingΒ after devastating flash floods swept through aΒ TexasΒ summer camp on the Fourth of July.
Eleven girls are missing from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, and five of their fellow campers have died after the rushing waters destroyed the all-girls private Christian summer camp.
The totalΒ death toll has risenΒ to 69, including 21 children, after the Guadalupe River flooded and surged by up to 30 feet above its usual water level on Friday.
BelovedΒ director of Camp Mystic, Richard ‘Dick’ Eastland, 70, died while trying to save girls as a monthβs worth of rain dropped in a matter of minutes.
One week before the tragedy, the camp shared videos on social media of the campers happily prancing around on stage during their first term chorus and dance production.
The youngest campers slept on low-laying ‘flats’ inside the camp’s cabins, whereas older girls slept in cabins on higher ground, according to the NYT.
Most of the missing girls are from the younger age bracket, who were sleeping just yards away from the banks of the Guadalupe River.
Texas GovernorΒ Greg AbbottΒ said that some 750 girls had been staying at the camp when the floodwaters hit.
Here is what we know about all of the girls who died in the flood.
Renee Smajstrla, 8
Camp Mystic attendee Renee Smajstrla (picture), 8, was killed in the flood, according to her uncle
The family of eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla has confirmed that she was among those who lost her life during the tragic floods.
Her uncle, Shawn Salta, shared onΒ Facebook: ‘We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday.
‘She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic.’
Janie Hunt, 9
Dallas nine-year-old Janie Hunt (pictured) died in the flooding at Camp Mystic
The mother of Dallas girl Janie Hunt confirmed to local media her daughter was one of the campers killed in the flood.
‘We are just devastated,’ she toldΒ NBC 5.
Sarah Marsh, 8
Sarah Marsh (pictured), 8, came from Alabama to attend Camp Mystic before she was swept away and killed
Alabama native Sarah Marsh died after the waters swept through Camp Mystic, according to her family.
‘Thank you for the outpouring of love and sympathy! We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives.Β She will live on in our hearts forever! We love you so much sweet Sarah,’ her grandmother said, according toΒ The Kerrville Daily Times.
Lila Bonner, 9
Nine-year-old Lila Bonner (right), was attending Camp Mystic with her best friend Eloise Peck (left)
The family of Lila Bonner, who was sharing a cabin at the camp with her best friend Eloise Peck, confirmed her passing toΒ NBC News.
‘In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time,’ the family said.
‘We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly for others to be spared from this tragic loss.’
Eloise Peck, 8
Eloise Peck (right) was sharing a cabin with Lila Bonner (left) when they were killed in the flooding
Dallas girl Eloise Peck, who recently finished second grade at Bradfield Elementary with her best friend Lili, also died in the flood.
‘Eloise was literally friends with everyone. She loved spaghetti but not more than she loved dogs and animals,’ her mother, Missy Peck, toldΒ FOX 4.
‘She passed away with her cabinmate and best friend Lila Bonner who also died. Eloise had a family who loved her fiercely for the 8 years she was with us. Especially her Mommy.’
Emergency personnel search through vegetation and debris at Camp Mystic
A girl reacts in the area outside sleeping quarters at Camp Mystic
Multiple people who lost their lives in the biblical flooding were not attending Camp Mystic.
The death toll currently stands at 67 – including 38 adults.
Texas’s Division of Emergency Management predicted the number of dead as a result of catastrophic flooding in Kerrville would top 100,Β sources told Daily Mail.Β
People have been desperately posting about their missing friends and relatives in a bid to help the search effort to find them, following the flooding.
Among the children, who were not attending the camp but tragically lost their lives, are two otherΒ young sistersΒ who were visiting their grandparents when the flood rushed through their cabin.
Blair Harber, 13
Sisters Blair (left), 13, and Brooke Harber (right), 11 were not attending Camp Mystic when they were killed
Two sisters, Blair and Brooke Harber, were among those who were killed in the deadly Texas floods.
They were not attending Camp Mystic when the natural disaster struck.
The girls were with their grandparents at a cabin along the Guadalupe River when they were swept away, reportedΒ FOX 4.
The girls’ parents were staying at another cabin and are safe. Their grandparents, Charlene and Mike Harber, are missing.
Brooke Harber, 11Β
Brooke Harber, Blair’s younger sister, was confirmed dead over the holiday weekend.
Blair and Brooker were eighth grade and sixth grade students respectively at St. Rita Catholic School, according to their priest, Father Joshua J. Whitfield.
‘Even if we may never fully understand why such tragedies happen, we are called to respond with love, compassion, and prayer,’ Whitfield said.
‘We will honor Blair and Brookeβs lives, the light they shared, and the joy they brought to everyone who knew them.’
Missing girls lost in the flood
At least 11 girls from Camp Mystic are missing from the camp.
One counselor is also still unaccounted for, county sheriff Larry Leitha said on Sunday morning.
Camp Mystic attendees Kellyanne Lytal and Lainey Landry are among the missing children, according toΒ KENS 5.
Wrecked father, Ty Badon, told CNN on Saturday that hisΒ daughter and her friends are missing andΒ have not been seen or heard from since the disastrous rush of water.
His daughter, Joyce Badon, and her friends, Ella Cahill, Reese Manchaca and Aiden Heartfield were last heard from around 4am on Friday.
At least 11 girls from Camp Mystic are missing, including Lainey Landry (left) and KellyAnne Lytal (right)
Pictured: Ella Cahill is still missing
Pictured: JoyceΒ Badon is still missing
Pictured: Reese Manchaca is still missing
Authorities and search teams are still making their way through the wreckage to hopefully account for those missing.
Haunting photos from Sunday showed teams searching through vegetation, as young girls accompanied by adults walked around what is left of Camp Mystic.
On Sunday, Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Texas amid a swirl of criticism of his administration for making major cuts to federal funding, impacting agencies like FEMA which lead the response to natural disasters.
‘I just signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County, Texas, to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.
‘These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing.
‘The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders.
‘Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was on the ground yesterday with Governor Greg Abbott, who is working hard to help the people of his Great State.
‘Our incredible U.S. Coast Guard, together with State First Responders, have saved more than 850 lives. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!’