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Incredibly brave girl, 17, made ultimate sacrifice to save family from raging floodwaters

A teenage girl tragically lost her life after saving her family from a van submerged in the raging Texas floodwaters.

Malaya Hammond, 17, bravely saved her family from the van that fell into the vicious waters on July 5 before she was swept away in the strong currents.  

Following the deadly floods that raged through the Southern state over the July Fourth weekend, the Hammond family were making their way to a Christian summer camp when tragedy struck. 

As they drove over the Cow Creek Bridge in the heavy rain and dark conditions, the family ended up driving off a cliff due to flooding across the bridge. 

'With no time to stop, their minivan plunged into a raging river. Their 17-year-old daughter, Malaya, heroically managed to open the door, allowing the entire family to escape,' a family friend, Mikki Willis, wrote on Facebook. 

Malaya opened the door and everyone else swam to shore,  but the teenager was swept away in the strong current. 

A three-day-search operation ensued before her body was found on July 7. 

'The four of them went into the river to make peace with the water and to give thanks that they had found her and that they have closure,' Willis said. 

Malaya was able to save her parents, Liz and Matthew, as well as her younger siblings, Khalil, 16, and Surya, 14. 

'The parents are amazing, but Malaya also set the standard as the oldest. So she was an incredible role model for her siblings,' Willis added. 

'Ask anyone who knows her, and they’ll tell you: Malaya is one of the most gentle, compassionate young women they’ve ever met,' he wrote. 

Malaya was said to have been a 'human filled with a magnificent love of life and God,' who was 'kind' and 'compassionate.' 

'[She] brought joy wherever she went,' said one family friend. 'She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.' 

A teacher of Malaya, Amy Miller, described the young teen as 'one of the most gifted students I've ever taught.' 

'She had more talent in her little pinkie finger than most have in a lifetime. Every once in a while I have one of "those" students that I leave the school year feeling like they taught me more than I could have taught them,' Miller wrote. 

'And Malaya was that student for me this last year. I am privileged to have known her and had her share her gifts with me. I'm truly going to miss her. Love and prayers to the Hammond family. Thank you for sharing her with us.' 

The outpour of support and love for the young teen was demonstrated in a GoFundMe for the family which, as of Thursday afternoon, raised more than $139,000. 

'Malaya was wise beyond her years. Gentle. Radiant. A peacemaker. She gave a grace to others so naturally,' said another friend of the family. 

'She loved to sing, dance, paint, songwriter. We got to sing together with her dad Matthew for a house concert in Texas just 2 weeks ago.'

Harmony School wrote on Instagram: 'Our hearts are heavy with the loss of one of our own. One of our beautiful dancers, Malaya Hammond, was tragically taken by the hill country flooding this week outside of Marble Falls when her family's car was swept into rushing water.

'The Hammond family is known for their genuine kindness, gentleness, and compassion. Malaya, as a teenage girl, was all of those things, and had spent much of her time this summer serving at and attending camps. 

'She also loved to dance and spent hours at Harmony each week in dance classes, along with her younger sister - Surya.'

The teen is remembered by her workplace, Numinous Coffee Roasters, as a 'coworker, friend, barista, baker, and dancer.' 

'We love you Malaya and will always carry you with us.' 

A total of 173 people are still believed to be missing in Texas days after flash floods killed 120 people during the July Fourth weekend, NBC News reported.

The huge jump in the number unaccounted for - roughly three times higher than previously said - came after authorities set up a hotline for families to call.

Those reported missing are in Kerr County, where most of the victims have been recovered so far, Governor Greg Abbott said on Tuesday.

The county’s lowlands along the Guadalupe River are filled with youth camps and campgrounds, including Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp where at least 27 campers and counselors died.

Officials said Tuesday that five campers and one counselor have still not been found.

According to Bob Henson, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections, the flash flood marks the deadliest instance of inland flooding in the US since Colorado’s Big Thompson Canyon flood on July 31, 1976, which claimed 144 lives.

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