The Canadian Pacific coast province of British Columbia declared a state of emergency following floods and mudslides caused by extreme rainfall as officials said they expected to find more dead.
Every main route between the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, where Canada’s third-largest city of Vancouver is, and the interior of the province has been cut by washouts, flooding or landslides following record-breaking rain across southern British Columbia between Saturday and Monday.
Authorities confirmed one death and said at least four people are missing. An estimated 18,000 people are displaced in the province, Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said.
Aerial footage showed the extent of the damage caused by the mudslides.
“I can confirm that there are hundreds of Canadian Armed Forces members currently headed to British Colombia to help with everything from supplies to evacuation to whatever is needed. There are thousands more on standby,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, speaking from Washington, DC.
The federal government said it was sending the air force to assist with evacuations and to support supply lines.
Military helicopters already helped evacuate about 300 people from one highway where people were trapped in their cars following a mudslide.