2 killed, 38 injured in flash flooding in U.S. New Mexico

HOUSTON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least two people have been killed, 38 injured and nearly 300 rescued after overnight flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall swamped roads and homes in Roswell, a city in the southeastern U.S. mountain state of New Mexico, authorities said on Sunday.

The rain brought heavy damage to homes and businesses in the city with a population of more than 91,700, city officials said, adding that many residents reported flood waters entered homes and buildings.

"Many motorists became stranded when their vehicles got stuck in flood waters on many streets," the City of Roswell said in a statement on social media.

"Some people had to await rescue on top of their vehicles that were covered by water. Some vehicles were swept by the water into the river channel," said the statement.

The New Mexico National Guard said on Sunday morning that they had rescued at least 290 people from the floodwaters, and at least 38 people among them needed to be taken to local hospitals for treatment.

All roads leading into the Roswell area had been closed due to the rushing water, said New Mexico State Police said on X, formerly Twitter.

As of Sunday noon, water levels remained high in the downtown and areas along the Spring River that overflowed, local media reported on Sunday.

Four to nine inches (101.6 mm to 228.6 mm) of rain had fallen in the Rosewell area late Saturday, prompting the National Weather Service (NWS) to declare a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" alert.

A flash flood watch remains in effect for eastern New Mexico through Sunday night as more rain is expected through the day, raising the risk of further flooding as many areas have already been inundated.

The NWS office in Albuquerque said Roswell set an all-time daily rainfall record of 5.78 inches (146.8 mm), higher than the previous record of 5.65 inches (143.5 mm) back in November 1901.