A house was ripped from its foundations and carried downstream as flash flooding left dozens of people trapped in their homes and cars in New Mexico.
Heavy monsoon rains triggered flash flooding in and around the mountain resort village of Ruidoso on Tuesday, sweeping away an entire house.
Dramatic video footage showed the house careening downstream through the brown, muddy waters of the flooded Rio Ruidoso, crashing into trees as it went.
"I've seen the video. We don't know if anyone was in the house," said Danielle Silva, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
At least 85 swift-water rescues were carried out in the area as many victims were left stranded in their cars and homes as the river rose by over six metres during the peak of the flooding, Silva said.
Floodwaters began to recede in the evening, allowing authorities to search through debris looking for any survivors.
There were no immediate confirmed reports of deaths or injuries from Tuesday's flooding.
The flooding had been made worse after the area had been stripped of vegetation following wildfires that burned through the area last June, followed by a round of flooding that badly eroded the soil.
Ruidoso is a popular summer retreat and ski resort nestled in the Sierra Blanca mountain range of south-central New Mexico, about 115 miles south of Albuquerque, the state's largest city.
The latest flooding there occurred four days after a deadly flash flood triggered by torrential rains along the Guadalupe River ravaged a swath of Texas Hill Country, killing at least 109 people and leaving scores of others missing.
