El Paso siblings among victims of deadly Ruidoso, New Mexico flooding
Charlotte and Sebastian Trotter, who were visiting from El Paso, were found deceased after flooding on Tuesday, July 8, that was so powerful that it carried away some homes, Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said during a radio interview on KRUI on Wednesday morning, July 9.
"Our hearts are broken, our stomachs are in knots over the fact that we have lost these folks," Crawford said.
Texas flooding: El Paso Fire Department Water Rescue Team continues to help in Texas floods
The other victim was an unidentified man estimated to be between 40 and 50 years old. All three had been carried away downstream during the flooding from Riverside RV Park by the Rio Ruidoso, town officials said.
On Tuesday, a Facebook post by a woman identifying herself as the children's aunt asked for help in finding Charlotte, 5, and Sebastian, 7, who were missing after flash flooding at an RV park in Ruidoso. The children were later found dead.
The initial Facebook post stated that the children were last seen at Midtown Mountain Campground & RV Park, but the owners and management of the park on Wednesday clarified that it occurred another RV park.
"Our hearts are with the family of the children that went missing at an RV Park two miles downriver from us and all those impacted by the devastating flash flood," Midtown Mountain Campground & RV Park stated on a Facebook post.
"As members of the Ruidoso community, we are deeply saddened by this tragedy and are keeping the family, first responders, and everyone involved in our thoughts and prayers.
"We want to gently clarify that the incident did not take place at Midtown Mountain Campground & RV Park. All guests at our location were immediately accounted for. Our team took swift measures to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone on site," the Midtown Mountain Campground post added.
"We kindly ask our community and visitors to help stop the spread of misinformation, as accurate information remains vital during moments like this and in the days to follow – both out of the respect for the families affected and to support the integrity of ongoing recovery efforts."
Ruidoso has been recovering from wildfires last year that left burn scars on the mountain forest community prone to quickly turning into dangerous flash floods. The mountain village is a popular vacation spot located about 130 miles north of El Paso, Texas.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 2 El Paso children among dead in New Mexico flooding in Ruidoso
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