President calls tragedy ‘shocking’ as search for missing continues overnight
At least 24 people have died in Kerr County, Texas, after catastrophic flooding swept through the region, prompting a large-scale rescue and recovery operation, local officials confirmed on Saturday.
The death toll is expected to rise as emergency services continue search and rescue operations, with dozens still unaccounted for. Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha confirmed the fatalities, describing the devastation as one of the deadliest weather events to hit the area in recent years.
US President Donald Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One en route to his New Jersey golf club, called the central Texas floods “terrible” and pledged full federal support to the state. “It’s shocking. They don’t know the answer yet as to how many people, but it looks like some young people have died,” he said. When asked about aid, he added: “Oh yeah, we’ll take care of them. We’re working with the governor. It’s a terrible thing.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said search efforts will continue around the clock. “They will continue in the darkness of night. They will be nonstop, seeking to find everybody who is unaccounted for,” he said.
Rescue operations have already saved more than 200 people, including 167 by helicopter, according to Major General Thomas M. Suelzer. “We are having a very good helicopter response when the weather allows,” he told reporters Friday night.
First responder teams are using infrared-equipped helicopters to scan the flood zones through the night, as crews brace for more rain and treacherous conditions. Additional helicopters are being deployed to support efforts, and personnel are being sent to assist with evacuee shelters and tracking those who have been rescued or relocated.
The flooding has submerged homes, destroyed roads, and left entire communities cut off, as central Texas reels from the disaster.
