Flash flooding triggered by heavy monsoon rains in New Mexico trapped dozens of people in homes and vehicles in and around the mountain resort village of Ruidoso on Tuesday and swept away an entire house,

The resort village of Ruidoso was under a flash flood emergency as slow-moving storms left people trapped in homes and prompted water rescues.

Up to 18 inches of rain fell between Aug. 18 and Aug. 20, 2007, triggering flash floods that are still considered some of Minnesota's worst. It killed seven people and caused $179 million in damages, mostly in Winona, Fillmore and Houston counties.

A man who saw the flash flood that descended upon the New Mexico mountain community of Ruidoso, killing three people and damaging dozens of homes, described the scenes as "unbelievable."

The flash flooding that hit the US state on Tuesday killed three people, including a 4-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy.