Flash floods sweep away a family of three, including a child, on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

All three victims were members of one family who died during an active flash flood near Newcomb in northwestern New Mexico in the early hours of Wednesday, emergency officials confirmed. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren offered his condolences after search crews, working through the night in dangerous conditions, recovered two adults and a child who had been swept away by floodwaters around 12:30 a.m. local time. The deaths occurred as a Navajo Nation-wide state of emergency, declared over severe monsoon storms and flash flooding, remained in force.

Nygren said: 'There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a loved one so suddenly.'

Roads across the Navajo Nation were left impassable, with transportation crews deployed to communities hit by severe washouts.

The National Weather Service warned that moisture levels were near record levels for mid-September, with excessive rainfall forecast through Thursday across the Four Corners region.