ISTANBUL 

At least three people have died due to severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall in the US state of Arizona, and a rural community is facing a dangerous situation with hundreds of propane tanks displaced by the floods.

In the city of Globe, home to around 7,250 residents and located roughly 88 miles east of the state capital Phoenix, two people were confirmed dead and at least one person remains missing, Mayor Al Gameros said in an interview with CBS affiliate KPHO-TV.

Another person was found dead Saturday morning near a vehicle that had been swept away by floodwaters in a suburb of Phoenix the previous night.

The Scottsdale Fire Department reported that the vehicle had been seen partially submerged in around eight feet of fast-moving water in a greenbelt park on Friday evening.

Once water levels receded slightly overnight, rescue crews discovered the victim’s body trapped beneath a pedestrian bridge.

Sheriff’s deputies in Globe, one of the state's oldest mining communities, have been investigating reports of additional missing people, Gila County’s emergency manager Carl Melford said.

He also said "a massive" search and rescue has been underway, noting that heavy rain fell rapidly on Friday, quickly flooding the downtown area.

One of the first places affected was a propane tank distribution site, which released around 1,000 residential-sized tanks across the community, he said.