A man and two children were killed in a record-breaking flash flood that swept through a village in New Mexico on Tuesday, local officials said. The three were "swept downstream by the unprecedented floodwaters that struck" the Village of Ruidoso, village officials said in a statement.

The village of Ruidoso is located in the southern part of New Mexico and is a noted vacation spot boasting camping and recreation amid its expansive forest landscape. World Population Review notes the village rose to a total of 7,600 in 2025. That was a decrease of the population by less than 1% in recent years.

Three people died in flooding Tuesday as New Mexico's Rio Ruidoso's banks swelled amid the summer rainy season. The village of Ruidoso and other parts of New Mexico have received more warnings in the past few years as catastrophic wildfires have left vast swaths of once forested land without enough vegetation to absorb and