Texas floods: Death toll climbs as neighbouring town in New Mexico also hit
Terrifying footage has captured a home being swept away by flash flooding in New Mexico, as the death toll from the floods in neighbouring Texas keeps climbing. See the video.
More than 160 people remain unaccounted for after devastating floods in Texas, marking a dramatic increase in the number of missing from a tragedy that has so far claimed 109 lives.
Four days after flash floods roared through several Texas counties, some in the middle of the night, hopes of finding survivors were fading – and Governor Greg Abbott warned that the list of those unaccounted for could yet rise.
“Just in the Kerr County area alone, there are 161 people who are known to be missing,” he told reporters Tuesday as the grim search continued.
“There very likely could be more added to that list,” he said, adding that the figure was based on people reported as unaccounted for by friends, relatives and neighbours.
It comes as the US National Weather Service (NWS) on Tuesday local time declared a flash flood emergency in Ruidoso, a small town 296km south of Albuquerque, in the neighbouring state of New Mexico.
Officials reported several people were trapped by sudden floodwaters, with multiple homes sustaining damage.
The NWS said the Rio Ruidoso, a 48km long river located in the Sierra Blanca and Sacramento Mountains in Lincoln County and Otero County, may have crested more than six meters.
The town is susceptible to mud slides and increased run-off following two large fires left or scorched swathes of land known as “burn scars” last year.
“A DANGEROUS situation is unfolding in RUIDOSO! A FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY remains in effect! Seek HIGHER GROUND NOW! Do NOT attempt to drive through the floodwaters. The current will carry away your vehicle!’’ the NWS wrote on social media.
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‘DOESN’T LOOK LIKE WE ARE GOING TO MAKE IT’: VICTIM’S GOODBYE
A Texas father left heartbreaking goodbye voicemails for his kids just moments before he and his wife were swept away by raging floodwaters in Texas, according to the couple’s son.
Jeff Ramsey, 61, an insurance salesman from Lewisville, is still missing after the deadly torrent struck his Airstream camper at the HTR RV Park in Kerrville, Texas, where he was staying with his wife, Tanya, 46, and the couple’s whippet dog, Chloe.
“Once they realised there was nothing they could do, my stepmum was on the phone with her mum while my dad made a call to me and my sister. We were asleep. He left us a message saying he was not going to make it and that he loved us so much, telling us goodbye,” the couple’s son, Jake, told The New York Post.
“He called me once he realised there was no hope. It was a short voicemail. He just left me a voicemail. He said, ‘Buddy. I love you so much. It doesn’t look like we are going to make it. Tell Rachey I love her.’”
Jeff also used some of his final moments before the water overtook him to warn Tanya’s brother and her mother, who were staying at another cabin about 150 yards up from the river, of the impending danger, calling them at 4.30am that morning.
“He rescued them because they would have slept in and they would have washed away. That cabin was destroyed, completely underwater. He saved their lives,” said Jake.
Rescuers later found Tanya’s body, identifying her by her distinctive tattoos.
Miraculously, the family found the pup Chloe at a local animal shelter because she had been microchipped.
“That was the only good news that we’ve gotten all weekend. My sister and I were overjoyed because that is such a huge piece of my dad’s heart and my stepmum's heart,” said Jake.
“We were so excited to figure out that she was coming home.”
SEARCH FOR CAMP MYSTIC MISSING ‘DIFFICULT’
As of Tuesday morning, authorities in the worst-hit Kerr County, Texas had recovered the bodies of 87 victims, Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters.
The deceased include at least 27 girls and counsellors who were staying at a youth summer camp on the Guadalupe River over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
“At present, five Camp Mystic campers and one counsellor still remain unaccounted for,” Leitha added.
Ben Baker with the Texas Game Wardens said search and rescue efforts involving helicopters, drones and dogs were extremely difficult because of the water and mud.
“When we’re trying to make these recoveries, these large piles can be very obstructive, and to get in deep into these piles, it’s very hazardous,” Baker said.
“It’s extremely treacherous, time consuming. It’s dirty work, the water is still there.”
He added that special attention was being paid to the first responders’ mental state, particularly given that the bodies of children were being recovered.
Javier Torres, 24, was digging through mud as he searched for the body of his grandmother, after having located the remains of his grandfather.
He also discovered the bodies of two children, apparently washed up by the river.
Officials warned that with more heavy rain forecast, recovery efforts would be rendered even more difficult.
“We’ve had some reports of maybe some additional water coming in, obviously, that’s going to impact the search and recovery efforts,” said Baker.
He said the weather may impact aerial patrol patterns, but “it won’t deter them.”
TRUMP, MELANIA TO VISIT FRIDAY
Donald Trump planned to visit Texas on Friday, as the White House slammed critics claiming his cuts to weather agencies had weakened warning systems.
The president, who previously said disaster relief should be handled at the state level, has signed a major disaster declaration, activating fresh federal funds and freeing up resources.
In his cabinet meeting President Trump has praised the emergency response.
“The response has been incredible … and it was so unified. I think a lot of lives have been saved,” Mr Trump said.
He said he will visit Friday with the first lady Melania adding, “I don’t want anyone to focus on us.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem added: “We’re still looking for a lot of little girls and other family members that were camping along that river, and they will continue until they find every single person, and we will continue to help them and assist in that.”
Ms Noem said she has visited the disaster zone and became tearful as she described seeing “parents that were looking for their children and picking up their daughters’ stuffed animals out of the mud.”
VOLUNTEERS, RESPONDERS, RESCUE DOGS CONTINUE SEARCH
Volunteers on horseback and others with rescue dogs are combing riverbanks alongside authorities in central Texas.
Rescuers in inflatable motorboats also searched for bodies near Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp.
Another team collected the children’s belongings from flooded cabins marked by mud lines exceeding 1.5 meters high.
About 30 volunteers on horseback, many wearing cowboy hats, joined mounted police from Austin to support rescue efforts in four towns along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.
Michael Duncan, 55, rode Ranger, his dark brown horse, along the river, supporting rescue efforts that have deployed hundreds of searchers along several miles of the waterway.
“Obviously (on horseback) … we can gain more ground. We can get to some areas where people can’t get to as easy,” Duncan told AFP.
The horses easily navigate the hilly terrain, undergrowth and debris left behind after the rain-swollen floodwaters receded.
Perched atop Ranger, Duncan said that the “height advantage” allowed him to scan across the mounds of debris.
Volunteers on foot also scoured the area, detecting foul odours from undergrowth that could indicate decomposing animals or human remains.
They dug through earth piled near trees, using pointed sticks to probe mounds for any signs of bodies.
During their search, they found children’s swimming goggles and a football.
Tom Olson, a rescue dog trainer, deployed his eight-year-old Belgian Malinois, Abby, to assist the search.
Mr Olson, 55, compared the dog’s search abilities to a useful tool, “just like underwater sonar boats, drone, aircraft.”
“The dog will be able to rapidly find a potential victim … lowering the risk to the people that are out here actually trying to do the search and rescue,” he told AFP.
Mr Olson said the work to recover victims’ bodies involved “a mental debt” and “emotional debt” but was necessary to bring “closure to the families that lost (people), as well as closure for the rescuers.”
Electric company crews also worked to restore power poles and cables destroyed by the floods as the Guadalupe River receded to its normal course.
Earlier, vigils were held for those who died in the floods.
WHITE HOUSE REACTS TO ‘DEPRAVED LIE’ OVER FLOODS
President Donald Trump is planning to visit Texas on Friday, the White House said, as it slammed critics claiming his cuts to weather agencies had weakened warning systems.
“Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday.
She said the National Weather Service, which The New York Times reported had several key roles in Texas unfilled before the floods, issued “timely and precise forecasts and warnings.”
President Trump has described the floods that struck in the early hours of Friday as a “100-year catastrophe” that “nobody expected.”
The president, who previously said disaster relief should be handled at the state level, has signed a major disaster declaration, activating fresh federal funds and freeing up resources.
‘IF WE COULD GO BACK, WE WOULD EVACUATE’
Camp Mystic is an all-girls Christian camp that was housing about 750 people when the floodwaters struck.
Camps are a beloved tradition in the long US summer holidays, with children often staying in woods, parks and other rural areas.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz described them as a chance to make “lifetime friends – and then suddenly it turns to tragedy.”
“Texas is grieving right now – the pain, the shock of what has transpired these last few days has broken the heart of our state,” Sen. Cruz told reporters.
In a terrifying display of nature’s power, the rain-swollen waters of the Guadalupe River reached treetops and the roofs of cabins as girls at the camp slept.
Blankets, teddy bears and other belongings were caked in mud. Windows in the cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water.
As volunteers were helping search through debris from the river, with some motivated by personal connections to the victims, Sen. Cruz admitted that authorities wish they had evacuated Camp Mystic sooner as flooding walloped the region.
“Everyone would agree, in hindsight, if we could go back and do it again, we would evacuate. Particularly those in the most vulnerable areas – the young children in the cabins closest to the water, we would remove them and get them to higher ground if we could go back and do it again,” the Republican politician said at a press briefing in Kerr County.
‘WE’RE BEING WASHED AWAY’
Months’ worth of rain fell in a matter of hours on Thursday night into Friday, and rain has continued in bouts since then.
The Guadalupe surged around 8-metres high – more than a two-storey building – in just 45 minutes.
Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual in this region of south and central Texas, known colloquially as “Flash Flood Alley.”
Volunteer Louis Deppe, 62, said she was helping the parents of two of the missing children.
“The last message they got was ‘We’re being washed away,’ and the phone went dead.”
CAMP MYSTIC STATEMENT: ‘OUR HEARTS ARE BROKEN’
Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ summer camp a few hundred feet from the riverbanks in Hunt in Kerr, lost 27 campers ages 8 and 9 in the flooding, with 10 still missing, officials said. One camp counsellor also remains missing.
“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly,” Camp Mystic said in a statement.
“We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls.
“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level.
“We ask for your continued prayers, respect and privacy for each of our families affected. May the Lord continue to wrap His presence around all of us.”
The camp is a private Christian summer camp for girls that was established in 1926.
‘HOW DO WE TRUST GOD?’ GRIEVING FAMILY SPEAKS OUT
Janie Hunt, one of the young girls who died at Camp Mystic due to severe flooding, was related to the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, Clark Hunt.
Mr Hunt’s wife, Tavia, wrote about the family’s loss on Instagram.
“Our hearts are broken by the devastation from the floods in Wimberley and the tragic loss of so many lives — including a precious little Hunt cousin, along with several friend’s little girls,” Tavia Hunt wrote.
“How do we trust a God who is supposed to be good, all knowing and all powerful, but who allows such terrible things to happen — even to children?
“That is a sacred and tender question — and one the Bible doesn’t shy away from. Scripture is filled with the cries of those whose hearts have been shattered, who still wrestle to trust the same God they believe allowed the pain.”
She also wrote: “If your heart is broken, I assure you God is near. He is gentle with your wounds. And He is still worthy — even when your soul is struggling to believe it.
“Trust doesn’t mean you’re over the pain; it means you’re handing it to the only One who can hold it with love and restore what was lost. For we do not grieve as those without hope.”
Linnie McCown, 8, is deceased along with Mary Stevens. Both were campers at Camp Mystic.
TEEN CAMP COUNSELLORS ‘WROTE ON GIRLS’ BODIES’
Two teenage camp counsellors recalled the harrowing moment they wrote the names of the young girls they were caring for on the kids’ bodies in case they were swept away in the raging Texas floodwaters.
Silvana Garza and Maria Paula said they desperately put on a “happy face” to keep the children calm as they prepared to evacuate a branch of Camp Mystic — where at least 27 girls and camp counsellors are confirmed dead and 11 more are still missing.
“Us as counsellors, we started to write our names on our skin, anywhere that was visible,”
Paula told Mexican news outlet NMas in a Spanish-language interview.
“We did the same for the girls, wrote their names anywhere that was easy to see,” she added.
As news poured in of the horror nearby, the pair said they were told to “put on a happy face” in order to not scare the younger girls.
“At the time, we started to prepare our girls because we thought we were also going to be evacuated,” Garza told the outlet.
SEARCH FOR GIRLS CAMP SURVIVORS CONTINUES AS VICTIMS NAMED
The identities of some of the girls killed at Camp Mystic are being made public.
On Sunday, the family of Lainey Landry posted a message to Facebook saying her body had been found.
Blair and Brooke Harber's father confirmed to CNN that the sisters had died during the catastrophic flooding in Kerr County, Texas.
Renee Smajstrla, 8, was also among them.
“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. Please continue to pray for the other families in Kerrville,” Renee’s uncle posted on Facebook.
“We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever!” Sarah’s grandmother shared on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Lila Bonner’s family confirmed her death in a statement describing their “unimaginable grief”, saying: “We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly”.
“These little girls, they swam for about 10 or 15 minutes. Can you imagine, in the darkness and the rushing waters and trees coming by you and rocks come on you? And then they get to a spot on the land,” Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said.
Patrick told stories of heroics, such as a camp counsellor smashing a window so girls in their pyjamas could swim out and walk through neck-high water.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Camp Mystic on the banks of the Guadalupe River had been “horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster.”
“The height the rushing water reached to the top of the cabins was shocking,” he said in a post on social media platform X after a visit to the site.
“We won’t stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins.”
‘AMERICAN HERO’ SAVES 165 TEXAS FLOOD VICTIMS
A Coast Guard rescue swimmer is being hailed as an “American hero” after his very first mission – helping to save the lives of 165 Texas flash-flood victims.
“This is what it’s all about, right? Like, this is why we do the job,” said Scott Ruskan, 26, a New Jersey native and former KPMG accountant, to The New York Post after his work in central Texas.
Petty Officer Ruskan was in charge of triage at Camp Mystic, the Christian girls’ summer camp that saw some of the worst of the flooding.
WATCH: CABIN PACKED WITH PEOPLE SWEPT AWAY
A cabin packed with people was swept away by deadly floodwaters after torrential rain hit central Texas.
Footage shows a large cabin floating down the Guadalupe River in Hill County.
Faint, yellow lights flickered from within as panicked voices echoed in the night.
“Oh my God, there’s so many people in it,” a bystander is heard saying as the cabin disappeared into the current.
MOVING SCENES AS CHILD SURVIVORS LEAVE CAMP MYSTIC
A nurse working at the girls’ Christian summer camp has captured emotional video of young girls on a bus headed for a reunification centre.
The group sing worship songs in between weeping as they ride through the devastation.
“The girls are singing to try and calm everyone,” Devon Page, a Camp Mystic nurse, said in a post alongside a video.
TRUMP DECLARES MAJOR DISASTER
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to say he had “just signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County, Texas, to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need. 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!”
The President also pledged in a handwritten note to Governor Abbott that Ms Noem would be available “at all times.”
CAMP OWNER DIES TRYING TO SAVE GIRLS
The camp’s director Dick Eastland died while trying to save the girls, racing to one of the camp’s 23 cabins as floodwaters swept it away.
The camp has been in business for 99 years, operating across two sites along the Guadalupe River and has a storied history in Texas and counts former First Lady Laura Bush as a former counsellor.
“The camp was completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, 13, one of the evacuated campers.
“A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”
‘I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT’: DAD DIES TRYING TO SAVE FAMILY
A Texas dad of two died while trying to save his family from the devastating flooding — nearly cutting his arm “clean off” when he punched through a window as their home quickly filled with water.
Julian Ryan, 27, his mother, his fiancee Christinia Wilson, and the couple’s 6-year-old and 13-month-old children all huddled in the bedroom of their trailer home in Ingram as the surging waters of the Guadalupe River shocked them awake at 4am.
“It just started pouring in, and we had to fight the door to get it closed to make sure not too much got in,” Ms Wilson told local a local news affiliate.
With his two babies already perched on a floating mattress, the door of the bedroom burst open, flooding the room — and Ryan made a drastic move to save his family.
He punched a hole in a bedroom window — severing an artery in his arm and almost cutting the limb “clean off,” family members told KHOU.
Ms Wilson repeatedly called 911 but that no one was able to get to their home in time.
“I’m sorry, I’m not going to make it. I love y’all,” Ryan said as he bled out in the flooding bedroom.
The waters continued to rise until the force ripped the trailer in half and the family was able to flee to safety.
“Julian gave his life for his family, passing as a true hero. While his family is eternally grateful for his sacrifice, they are shattered by their loss,” stated a GoFundMe that has raised over $142,000.
HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER COACH, WIFE, TEACHER AMONG VICTIMS
Reece Zunker, a soccer coach in Tivy, Texas, and his wife Paula, who were on vacation with their two children when the flooding swept through Kerr County, were among the victims identified by officials.
“Our Tivy Soccer & KISD community is heartbroken with the loss of our leader and inspiration,” Tivy Boys Soccer wrote on Facebook Saturday.
“Coach Reece Zunker was not just a soccer coach he was a mentor, teacher and a role model for our Kerrville kids.”
Kerrville Daily Times reported that the two children were still missing.
The family had been staying in a river house in the town of Hunt, not far from Camp Mystic.
Also confirmed among the dead is Jeff Wilson, a teacher at Kingswood Park High School who taught in the Humble Independent School District for 30 years, the school wrote on X.
Tonight our #HumbleISDFamily is grieving the devastating loss of @HumbleISD_KPHS teacher Jeff Wilson, who passed away due to the catastrophic flooding in Kerrville. Jeff worked in #HumbleISD for 30 years at both Humble High School and Kingwood Park High School. He was a beloved… pic.twitter.com/0lwPzsbSBH
— Humble ISD (@HumbleISD) July 6, 2025
“Tonight our [Humble Independent School District] family is grieving the devastating loss of teacher Jeff Wilson, who passed away due to the catastrophic flooding in Kerrville,” the mourning social media post read.
“He was a beloved teacher and co-worker to many and will be deeply missed.”
His wife and son are still missing.
‘WE DIDN’T KNOW THIS FLOOD WAS COMING’
Officials and locals alike were shocked by the speed and intensity of the flooding.
“We didn’t know this flood was coming,” said Kerr County judge Rob Kelly, telling Fox News it broke his heart to see the body bags bound for local funeral homes.
“The predictions were definitely off,” said Kerrville city official Dalton Rice.
The region of south and central Texas where the weekend’s deluge occurred is known colloquially as “Flash Flood Alley.”
But scientists say that in recent years human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves more intense.
Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott was requesting additional federal resources from US President Donald Trump.
Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem said Mr Trump wanted to “upgrade the technologies” at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is responsible for official weather forecasts and storm preparation.
“We need to renew this ancient system,” she said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed a small group of Australians is also currently in the affected area and is receiving consular assistance.
If you need help, call the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s 24-hour emergency line on 1300 555 135 or +61262613305 if you’re calling from overseas.
– with The New York Post and AFP
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Originally published as Texas floods: Death toll climbs as neighbouring town in New Mexico also hit