3 dead and others believed missing after flooding in rural Arizona community

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GLOBE, Ariz. (AP) — Three people have died and others are believed missing after flooding in a rural community in Arizona, officials said Saturday.

Carl Melford, the Gila County Division of Emergency Management manager, told KPHO-TV that two of the people who died were found in a vehicle and a third person was found elsewhere after flooding on Friday in Globe, a city of about 7,250 people about 88 miles (142 kilometers) east of Phoenix.

“I grew up here, and I don’t recognize the town that I grew up in right now,” he said.

Searchers looked for people missing all night, and more help arrived Saturday to continue the search, city officials said on Facebook. They urged people to stay away from the historic downtown of the former mining town because of compromised buildings and hazardous chemicals and debris, including propane tanks swept away in the floodwaters.