Summary

  • A father and two children have been swept away by flash floods in the US state of New Mexico, the National Weather Service says

  • A swift water rescue team is searching for the family, and other rescues are under way in the village of Ruidoso

  • No injuries or deaths were immediately reported, but the mayor said three people were unaccounted for

  • Video shows a house washed away in brown floodwaters, splintering as it hits trees, and the NWS says multiple homes have been "moved by water"

  • The emergency comes just days after deadly floods hit the neighbouring state of Texas

  • In Texas, more than 109 people are confirmed dead and at least 161 are still missing following flash floods last Friday

Watch: Moment house is swept away in New Mexico flash flooding

Live Reporting

Edited by Jude Sheerin

  1. Multiple factors contributed to these devastating floods

    Matt Taylor
    BBC Weather

    Several factors came together to create the devastating outcome we saw in Texas last week.

    First there was the weather patterns at the time.

    The remnants of an ex-tropical storm had become embedded within a broader area of very unstable air within the region. Unstable air is air which has the ability to rise rapidly to form large storm clouds.

    Tropical Storm Barry, that caused flooding across the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico a week earlier, had tracked across the Gulf of Mexico to decay over north-east Mexico. This had meant there was already large supply of moisture in the atmosphere.

    Wind patterns across the region at the time also resulted in a flow of humid, moisture-laden air from Gulf too.

    The next factor was the geography and topography of the area: Kerr County, where the worst of the floods occurred, is a hillier area which forced moisture-laden air upwards helping to build huge storm clouds.

    The ones that formed over the area were so large they effectively became their own weather system, producing huge amounts of rain over a larger area.

    It was slow-moving, adding to the rain totals and creating further thunderstorms along a zone that continued to affect the area containing the Guadalupe River.

  2. Watch: Timelapse shows how suddenly Texas flood waters rose

    More than 80 people have been confirmed dead and dozens are missing following flash floods in central Texas on Friday.

    The video below shows how the water level of the Llano River in Kingsland, Texas rapidly increased.

  3. What early warnings did flood-hit Texas receive?

    Aerial shot of flooded streetsReuters

    With the death toll in Texas exceeding 80 people, questions are being raised about whether adequate flood warnings were provided and why people weren't evacuated ahead of the deluge.

    In the space of 45 minutes in the early hours of Friday morning, the Guadalupe River rose by 26ft (8m), causing it to burst its banks.

    By then there had been several flood warnings issued, including from the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the National Weather Service (NWS).

    The NWS has said it was heartbroken at the loss following the floods, but that it did all it could, conducting briefings on Thursday and issuing a flood watch warning that afternoon.

    People have reported receiving text message alerts on their mobile phones early on Friday morning, warning them of flooding. Some residents told the New York Times they did not understand the seriousness of them and others said they never received any at all.

    Before the tragedy, there had also been concerns over the Trump administration's budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - the government agency that operates the NWS.

    Read more about what flood warnings were issued and when in our news story.

  4. Watch: BBC reports from devastated Camp Mystic

    The BBC’s chief North America correspondent Gary O’Donoghue reports from the devastated Camp Mystic – a popular girls’ summer camp.

    Watch: BBC reports from Camp Mystic, where search for missing girls continues

  5. Heroes recognised by authorities

    A freckled young woman smiles as she holds up a folder, the cover of which is decorated with a handdrawn campfireInstagram: Jeff Landry

    University student Emma Foltz saved 14 students, according to the governor of Louisiana

    We're starting to hear more stories of heroic rescues emerging from Texas.

    Homeland Security said on X that Scott Ruskan, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, was directly responsible for saving 165 lives.

    "He is an American hero whose selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the Coast Guard," the government department said.

    Meanwhile, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry drew attention to camp counsellor Emma Foltz, who is from his state.

    She played an "instrumental role" in evacuating 14 of her campers to safety, he posted on X.

  6. Local community 'ripped apart', reporter in Kerr County tells BBC

    Rescuers search in a flooded area in Kerr County, Texas. Photo: 6 July 2025EPA/Shutterstock

    A reporter in the flood-devastated Kerr County tells the BBC a search and rescue operation is "going slowly" - but rescuers are "making progress everyday".

    Speaking to BBC 5 Live, Washington Post reporter Arelis Hernandez says rescuers are searching a "tremendously large area" facing "matted" debris, like tree limbs and various things that were sucked out of homes, cars, "just all piled up on each other with river silt".

    "You have to go foot-by-foot and untangle all of this in case there’s something or someone underneath it all," he says.

    He adds that a group of rescuers he was with had already found "three bodies and the more they look, the more they’re finding".

    Ordinarily, he says, "this is a beautiful place, an idyllic place", but "seeing so many of these young girls lost, losing their lives and missing has absolutely ripped this place apart".

  7. Flood watch issued for Kerr County

    Ben Rich
    Lead weather presenter

    A flood watch has been issued covering Kerr County – and surrounding areas of Texas - throughout Monday.

    Further downpours and thunderstorms are expected to develop with the National Weather Service warning that some places could see 2 to 4 inches (51-102mm) of rain.

    Up to 10 inches (254mm) could fall very locally which could hamper rescue efforts and cause further flash flooding, especially with river levels already so high.

    However, it is impossible to pinpoint exactly where the wettest places will be, and this is always the problem with predicting summer thunderstorms.

    Forecasters can see that the right ingredients are there - a supply of moisture and instability in the atmosphere - but even the most sophisticated computer models will struggle to identify exactly where those ingredients will come together to produce the most damaging downpours.

  8. Rescuer: Victims found up to eight miles down river from Camp Mystic

    A man wearing a black cap which reads Justice 300. He's sitting in the passenger seat of a car. There is rain against the window. He has a beard.

    Rescue volunteer Greg Froelick is heading up rescue efforts to locate survivors near Camp Mystic - and tells the BBC he's heard of people being found up to "eight miles (12.8km) down the river from where the camp was".

    Describing the damage down there, he says "it's pretty crazy" - with "giant trees wrapped around another tree, debris piles 20ft-plus high... it's a complete disaster to be honest".

    In an interview with BBC News on Sunday evening, he says he has seen "clothing and items from the camp dressers scattered everywhere, up and down the river".

    Rescuers have been searching with dogs, clearing brush and are now planning to use boats, he explains.

    "It rained on us most of the day today," he says, and adds they had to seek higher ground when a "15ft wall of water" began surging through the area.

  9. What we know about Camp Mystic

    Beds and mattresses scattered around a room that was hit by floodingReuters

    A major focus of the search has been Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River which suffered significant damage.

    A number of the children were killed and several are thought to be missing following the flash floods.

    The camp in Kerr County said it was "grieving the loss of 27" campers and counsellors in a statement posted today.

    Its longtime director Richard "Dick" Eastland has been reported as among the dead.

    What do we know about the camp?

    • It's been operated by generations of the same family since the 1930s
    • The camp’s website describes it as a place for girls to grow “spiritually” in a “wholesome" Christian atmosphere “to develop outstanding personal qualities and self-esteem”
    • Some of the girls who are reported missing were in low-lying cabins - less than 500ft from the river bank, according to the New York Times
    Map showing the location of Camp Mystic

  10. In pictures: Devastation in Texas as desperate search continues

    Rescuers are racing against the clock in a desperate search for missing people, following devastating flooding in Texas on Friday.

    Photos from the southern US state show the scale of devastation across a vast area.

    Debris - including destroyed vehicles and equipment - are seen scattered in Kerrville, Texas. Photo: 5 July 2025Getty Images

    Louis Hays Park in the town of Kerrville now looks like a war zone, with flood debris scattered everywhere

    A flood-damaged cabin at Camp Mysic, Texas. Photo: 5 July 2025AFP via Getty Images

    Camp Mystic - a popular girls' summer camp - was the worst-hit, when floodwaters swept through riverside cabins as most of the young residents were sleeping

    A rescuer with a sniffer dog search for survivors at Camp Mystic, Texas. Photo: 5 July 2025Reuters

    Rescuers with sniffer dogs have been deployed to the camp to comb through the site by Guadalupe River

    A rescuer searches a flood-damaged building in Hunt, Texas. Photo: 6 July 2025EPA/Shutterstock

    There are fears that a number of people may still be trapped

  11. What are the latest casualty figures?

    More than 80 people – including children - are known to have died and another 41 are missing in Texas following flash floods.

    The worst hit is Kerr County, with 68 fatalities confirmed, including 28 children.

    There are also six confirmed casualties in Travis County, three in Burnet County, one in Williamson County, two in Kendall County and one in Tom Green County, according to CBS.

    Figures are changing quickly as rescuers continue to search for the missing, and officials say the death toll is certain to rise.

  12. Summer camp 'grieving the loss of 27' campers and counsellors
    Breaking

    A summer camp has said it is "grieving the loss of 27" campers and counsellors following flash floods in Texas on Friday.

    Camp Mystic, a riverside Christian girls' camp in Kerr County, was deluged claiming the lives of a number of children and leaving others missing.

    “Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy,” the camp said in a statement on Monday.

    It added it is continuing to work with local and state authorities "who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls".

  13. More rain forecast to hit Texas as search for survivors enters fourth day

    Rescue workers seen walking from behind in a green areaEPA

    Search efforts are continuing in Texas as warnings are issued for further heavy rain over the next two days.

    More than 80 people have been confirmed dead across several counties, including 28 children, after flash floods on Friday. Officials say the death toll is certain to rise.

    The catastrophe unfolded in the early hours of Friday as the Guadalupe River rose 26ft (8m) in 45 minutes.

    Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday authorities would "stop at nothing" to ensure every missing person is found.

    We'll be providing updates throughout the day.