A deadly storm described by officials as a once-in-a-century weather event has left roads and rail links damaged around Vancouver, Canada
Two motorways connecting the Vancouver – the West Coast city of Canada were closed after being damaged by severe flooding.
A woman was killed in a highway landslide, and rescuers say at least two other people have been reported as missing.
Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes due to the massive storm, which struck on Monday.
According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the woman’s body was found near the town of Lillooet, about 250km from Vancouver.
Police Sargent Janelle Shoihet state that rescuers had not yet determined the number of “occupied vehicles that were lost in the slide”, according to AFP news agency.
Motorist Kathie Rennie told CBC News that she saw the landslide come down on traffic that was already at a standstill south of Lillooet.
The provincial minister of transportation, Rob Fleming, told a news conference it was the “worst weather storm in a century”.
Thousands of homes in British Columbia were evacuated after an “atmospheric river” dumped the region’s monthly rainfall average in just 24 hours
All 7,000 residents of Merritt, about 120 miles north-east of Vancouver, were ordered to flee their homes on Monday.
Snow fell on there on Tuesday, and cars could be seen floating in icy flood waters in town.
Helicopter crews were also sent to the mountain town of Agassiz to rescue about 300 people who became trapped on a cut-off road.
Monday’s rains and winds had largely finished by Tuesday afternoon, but several communities remained stranded.
