SANTA FE, N.M. — 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 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 earlier 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 of 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