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'Our hearts are broken:' Camp Mystic mourns loss of 27 campers and counselors

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Camp Mystic officials confirmed in a statement on their website on Monday morning that they were “grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors following the catastrophic flooding that occurred on the Guadalupe river.”

The campgrounds are located in Kerr County along the Guadalupe River where catastrophic rains caused devastating floods.

A wall of water roared through the camp in Hunt on the Fourth of July. More than 700 girls were at the camp at the time.

Nearly 30 campers at the 99-year-old Hill Country institution are still missing after flooding devastated the area on Friday.

In their statement, Camp Mystic officials said, “Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly.”

This was the first formal statement on the camp’s website since the weather disaster as daily updates on casualties continued to climb and the aggrieved families and friends of the missing took to social media for information about their loved ones.

Eastland's nephew, Gardner Eastland, confirmed the death in a Facebook post on Saturday.

"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,” the statement continued.

The all-girls Christian camp has a 99-year history and has served as a summer retreat for generations.

The camp’s longtime director, Richard “Dick” Eastland, was believed to have left his home in the early hours on Friday to assist in rescues. He was among the dead.

In a statement, camp officials wrote: 'Camp Mystic is grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors following the catastrophic flooding on the Guadalupe River. Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly.'

Rescue and recovery efforts following Friday's catastrophic Guadalupe River floods continued on Monday. Dozens of people have died.

“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level,” the camp’s statement said.

It was not clear how many of the girls as well as counselors were included in that official count shared by Kerr County.

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