‘Horrifying’: CNN host stunned by claim Texas flood toll far worse than reported

A CNN anchor expressed astonishment Tuesday evening as a volunteer search and rescuer said he believes Texas officials are undercounting the number of flood victims by hundreds.

Ryan Logue, deputy incident commander for the United Cajun Navy, told Erin Burnett on her show "OutFront" that Gov. Greg Abbott (R) was likely way off when he said 170 people were missing, 161 in Kerr County alone. That number skyrocketed from an earlier estimate of just 18.

"And now—that’s a huge spike to more than 170. But you've been there. I mean, did you always expect that number to spike like this?" asked Burnett.

Logue gave an eye-popping response.

"To be honest, personally, I think the number is closer to 500 to 600. That's my personal opinion. I'm not going to state that for anybody else," he replied.

Logue said that Center Point had multiple RV parks and campgrounds affected.

"All of those people are missing," he said. "I've talked to two of the property—or the business—owners, and they said they weren’t sure exactly how many people were there, but there were up to 100 vehicles at some of these places. And that’s not being reported."

He lamented what he sees as "a lot of miscommunication" due to the number of missing children. But the river, he noted, is 60 miles long.

"I mean, no matter how many resources you have, it's going to be difficult. For the government, it's going to be a difficult task. And this — this has never happened like this before. So them getting people all the way down here is very, very tough," said Logue.

He said crews will soon be able to "assess truly what we are up against."

Logue's answer caught Burnett off guard.

"You talk about those RV parks, what these numbers could be. I mean, the numbers you're sharing are obviously hard to hear and horrifying," she said.

Watch the exchange below or at this link.