23 girls missing after catastrophic flooding hits summer camp

NBC DFW

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Torrential overnight rain sent a wall of water roaring through a remote summer camp, sweeping away dormitory-style cabins where dozens of girls, aged 8 to 16, were sleeping. Camp counselors say the creek that normally trickles beside the property rose more than two meters in less than fifteen minutes after a series of intense cloudbursts funneled runoff straight down the surrounding slopes. Many of the campers had no time to reach higher ground; the current smashed windows, tore doors off hinges and carried beds, clothing and personal belongings downstream.

At daybreak rescuers found overturned vehicles, felled trees and debris piled against the main lodge. Helicopters air-lifted fourteen injured girls and two staff members to the nearest regional hospital, while ground teams with search dogs began combing an eight-kilometer stretch of the flooded creek for survivors. By late afternoon officials confirmed that 23 girls remained unaccounted for. Divers reported near-zero visibility in the chocolate-colored water, and the force of the current continued to complicate search efforts.

Meteorologists attribute the disaster to a stationary thunderstorm cell that dumped more than 150 mm of rain on the watershed in under three hours—more than the area normally receives in an entire month. Local authorities acknowledged that no flash-flood warning reached the camp because the nearest river-gauge sensor, located twenty kilometers downstream, did not register a rapid rise until after the crest had already passed the property.

Families began arriving at a hastily established reunification center soon after news of the flooding broke. Many parents described frantic text messages received shortly after midnight, followed by hours of agonizing silence as cellphone coverage collapsed. Trauma counselors and Red Cross volunteers provided support while officials read partial survivor lists aloud.

Governor Arturo Rivas declared a state of emergency, mobilizing the national guard, additional helicopters equipped with night-vision capabilities, and portable lighting towers to extend the search into the evening. Engineers are now assessing the structural integrity of the camp’s bridge, roads and power lines, while environmental agencies warn that saturated hillsides remain unstable and could trigger further landslides if heavy rain returns.

As rescue operations continue, investigators are expected to examine whether the camp had an adequate evacuation plan and functioning weather alert systems. Meanwhile, communities downstream are bracing for additional flooding as runoff converges in low-lying areas. The focus, however, remains on locating the 23 missing girls and bringing closure to families who have endured an unimaginable night of uncertainty.

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