The devastating flash flood disaster in the Texas hills has now killed 109 people, with 161 missing in the devastated Kerr County area alone, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott said on Tuesday.
Abbott told reporters at a press conference that rescue workers will continue “until every missing person is accounted for.”
The missing numbers are much higher than originally reported, but Abbott said this is because people have been calling in to report missing people over the last days. Also search teams lack a precise overview of who had been in the popular holiday area since Friday morning, when the floods struck suddenly over the long holiday weekend, catching many by surprise.
Many families were not staying in registered hotels but camping independently along the riverbanks. Authorities have called on the public to report any potential missing persons.
Trump to visit with First Lady
US President Donald Trump, along with his wife and First Lady Melania, will visit the flood-affected area in Texas on Friday, Abbott, a hard-line Republican and Trump ally, said.