TORONTO (Reuters) – Water has begun to overflow over a landslide blocking the Chilcotin River near Farwell Canyon, British Columbia officials said, issuing an emergency alert on Monday for people along the banks of the river to evacuate immediately.
Officials cautioned people to stay off the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers and away from river banks due to the risk of fast-moving water and debris.
“Even if the water elevation in an area may be similar to freshet (spring flooding) levels, the water will react differently, with greater momentum and force, than a gradual increase in water levels,” it said in its statement.
The region has been under watch since Wednesday after a landslide blocked the river in British Columbia’s Cariboo region, creating worries about potential flooding as the water could surge through.
(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Toronto; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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