Camp Mystic security guard issues emotional statement after using mattresses in heroic act to rescue girls from deadly floods
Rhiannon Ingle
Featured Image Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Washington Post via Getty Images
A security guard has issued an emotional statement after explaining how he used mattresses as rafts to rescue Camp Mystic campers from deadly floods.
Camp Mystic is a Christian all-girls summer camp located on the banks of the Guadalupe River, in central Texas, where floodwater rose 26 feet (eight metres) in just 45 minutes in the early hours of Friday (4 July), causing destruction to everything in its path as the campers slept.
More than 80 people have been confirmed dead in the devastating floods, with Camp Mystic now confirming the tragic loss of 27 campers and counsellors.
A new message on their website reads: "Camp Mystic is grieving the loss of 27 campers and counsellors following the catastrophic flooding on the Guadalupe river.
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"Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly."
It continued: "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."
A man who worked as a night security guard at Camp Mystic is now being hailed as a hero for saving the lives of campers after the floods struck.
In a statement to CNN, Glenn Juenke explained that he has served as the night watchman at the camp for the past four summers and was on duty when the floodwaters began to rush in.
Recalling that the frightened campers were inside a building called the Wiggle Inn, Juenke explained that, when the water rose, he placed the girls on mattresses to help them ride it out safely.
"I witnessed firsthand the courage and faith that your daughters displayed during some of the most terrifying moments of their young lives," he said.
"Each of those sweet girls (were) cold, wet, and frightened - but they were also incredibly brave. They trusted me, and we leaned on each other through a long, harrowing night together inside their cabin."
Rescue teams are continuing to search for 10 missing children and one counsellor from the camp. Including the deaths at Camp Mystic, in total at least 82 people are confirmed to have lost their lives following the flash floods with a local sheriff confirming that 68 of the deaths were in Kerr County, which is located 65 miles northwest of San Antonio.
There are also five confirmed casualties in Travis County, three in Burnet County, two in Williamson County, two in Kendall County and one in Tom Green County.
Camp Mystic's director, Dick Eastland, is one of those among the dead.