Texas girl breaks down in tears as she remembers friend who died at Camp Mystic: ‘She was so funny’
KERR COUNTY, TEXAS: A young Texas girl broke down in tears as she honored her friend who lost her life in the devastating flash floods that struck Camp Mystic on Friday, July 4.
The video that went viral across social media showed a young girl, along with her parents, talking about her friend who died following the floods. The flash flood has reportedly killed 82 people so far.
Texas girl breaks down in tears as she honors her lost friend
In a clip shared by Collin Rugg on X, a young girl was seen surrounded by her parents as she spoke to a reporter.
She said while breaking down in tears, “My friend she was so funny. I have been scrolling through pictures and videos on my mom’s phone and watching it over and over again. Her dancing when she got excited. She was so nice and I just miss her so much.”
Recent reports suggest at least 82 people have been killed and dozens missing following Friday’s devastating flash flooding. A search and rescue operation for survivors have started to morph into a grim exercise of recovering bodies.
It was reported on Saturday that five girls from Camp Mystic – Janie Hunt, Renee Smajstrla, Lila Bonner, Eloise Peck, and another girl whose family opted to keep her name private – lost their lives.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly lamented, “Nobody saw this coming”, and spoke of the pain of witnessing “many of the body bags” at local funeral homes.
Meanwhile, the viral clip also showed the young girl’s mother saying, “Our really good friend lost her daughter at Camp Mystic. They have just had so much loss that it is unimaginable.”
She added, “They are still pulling people out of the river and we don’t even know to the extent who we know have lost their lives.”
Brothers recall terrifying escape from rising floodwaters at Texas camp
Two young brothers – Piers, 11, and Ruffin Boyett,14 – described the terrifying moment they escaped floodwaters that tore through their Texas summer camp in the early hours of July 4.
The brothers were asleep at Camp La Junta in Hunt when the Guadalupe River rose by 26 feet in just 45 minutes, forcing them to swim out of their submerging cabin.
“We had bunk beds in our cabins and [the water] was going up to the top bunk and we had one choice — and we had to swim out of our cabin,” Piers Boyett told ABC affiliate KSAT.
Meanwhile, the elder brother Ruffin said, “The cabins were flooding and the walls, they broke down.” The boys swam to safety and waited for 17 hours in higher-ground cabins until they were evacuated by bus.
“No one died, we’re thankful for that,” the elder brother added.
Texas Lt Gov Dan Patrick announced on July 4 that at least 20 other children remain missing from Camp Mystic.
On Sunday, July 6, that number went up to 27 girls unaccounted for, according to local officials.
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday during a press conference, “We are kind of looking at this in two ways, called the known missing, which is the 27… We will not put a number on the other side because we just don’t know.”
Death toll in Texas flash floods rises to 82
The death toll in Texas flash floods has reportedly gone up to 82 as rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain, high waters, and snakes including water moccasins, continue their desperate search for the missing.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday that there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state, and more could be missing.
In Kerr County, searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the governor warned that more rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday, July 8, could lead to more life-threatening flooding, especially in places already saturated.
