Three people have died in a mountain village in southern New Mexico that is a popular summer retreat after monsoon rains triggered flash flooding, officials said.
Three people have died in a mountain village in southern New Mexico that is a popular summer retreat after monsoon rains triggered flash flooding that was so intense that an entire house was swept downstream, officials said.
A man and two children were swept away Tuesday by floodwaters, the village of Ruidoso said in a statement.
Three people had been reported missing, but it wasn’t immediately clear early Wednesday whether those were the same three who died.
Emergency crews carried out at least 85 swift water rescues in the Ruidoso area, including people who were trapped in their homes and cars, said Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The water had receded by Tuesday night, and search and rescue and swift water rescue teams were scouring the town for the missing people, while public works crews cleared debris from the roadways. Some cars were left stranded in the mud.
Two National Guard rescue teams and several local teams already were in the area when the flooding began, Silva said, and more Guard teams were expected.
The floods came just days after flash floods in Texas killed over 100 people and left more than 160 people missing.
In New Mexico, officials urged residents to seek higher ground Tuesday afternoon as the waters of the Rio Ruidoso rose nearly 19 feet (2.
