Missing Texas flood victims quadruples to 161 overnight — and number likely to increase

At least 161 people are still missing days after catastrophic flash floods ripped through central Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday, revealing a dramatic increase from the official tally of 40 that officials had announced earlier.

Abbott updated the total of unaccounted for victims after taking a helicopter tour of the affected area, and noted the grim milestone that the death toll from the floods — which now stands at 109 — has surpassed the number of Texans killed in Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, in which 103 people from the Lone Star State lost their lives.

Eighty-seven of the deaths occurred in Kerr County, where rescuers are continuing their search for five girls still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp that has reported 27 deaths so far.

“We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for,” Abbott told reporters. “There could very likely be more people added to the list.”

Abbott said the new total of missing was based on people reported unaccounted for by friends, neighbors and relatives.

Asked about an investigation into the number of dead in the storm, Abbott bristled, characterizing the question, which included the phrase “who’s to blame?” as “the word choice of losers,” before launching into a football analogy.

“Every football team makes mistakes,” the governor said.

“The losing teams are the ones that try to point out who’s to blame. The championship teams are the ones that say, ‘Don’t worry, ma’am, we’ve got this.’”

This is a developing story. Please check back for more information.