2 girls from Austin among victims in flash floods at Camp Mystic

AUSTIN, Texas — Two girls from Austin are among those confirmed dead after devastating flash floods hit Camp Mystic in Kerr County on July 4.

Linnie McCown, 8, was a student at Casis Elementary, according to her father, Michael McCown.

A family spokesman for 8-year-old Mary Stevens confirmed her death. Mary was a student at Highland Park Elementary.

The girls were campers at the Christian all-girls summer camp in the Hill Country when floodwaters swept through the Guadalupe River area. More than 750 girls were staying at Camp Mystic when the floods hit.

Dozens remain unaccounted for after catastrophic flooding overwhelmed Kerrville, Hunt and surrounding Kerr County communities early on Friday.

Kerr County authorities, alongside state and federal officials, said Sunday morning that search-and-rescue teams had recovered at least 59 bodies so far, including 21 children. We’re beginning to learn more about them here.

The Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas National Guard and U.S. Coast Guard are among the entities that have responded to the crisis, amounting to hundreds of personnel and vehicles participating in search efforts. Officials said more than 850 people have been rescued from the flooding, with many grabbing on to trees and waiting hours for rescue.

“We will not stop until every single person is found,” Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. “It’s going to take a while.”