A police officer has died chasing a suspected kidnapper, who swerved into oncoming traffic in Santa Fe, New Mexico, before escaping.

Robert Duran, 43, was killed alongside at a motorist caught up in the high speed pursuit.

Mr Duran joined the force in January 2015 and leaves a wife and two teenage sons, police said.

Santa Fe’s mayor Alan Webber vowed to deliver justice for Mr Duran as officers continue to hunt for the suspect.

He said: “Let there be no doubt that the combined law enforcement officers who are now working on this will find the suspect.

“Justice will be done.”

The kidnapping was reported at about 11am on Wednesday at an apartment complex where a man with a knife allegedly stole a vehicle occupied by a woman.

Police tried to stop the vehicle but the driver got onto Interstate 25, the force said.

Heading into oncoming traffic, the suspect drove south towards Albuquerque in the northbound lane.

The chase soon led to a smash involving four vehicles: two driven by police, one by the suspect with the abductee inside, and another vehicle which contained the other confirmed victim, officials said.

The kidnapped woman, whose name was not immediately released, managed to escape the vehicle and was taken to hospital.

Police asked locals to stay in their homes as they searched for the suspect, while mobile phones across the county buzzed with an emergency alert warning people to avoid the motorway, by then a sprawling crime scene.

Mikaela McCray, a waitress at a nearby restaurant, said the carriageway was full of police vehicles, with at least one helicopter overhead.

Local politician Michelle Lujan Grisham said: “I am deeply saddened by the death of a Santa Fe police officer today while in the line of duty, as well as the tragic death of another motorist.”