Heavy rains trigger slides, prompt flood warnings

Heavy rainfall triggered a mudslide that closed Highway 1 near Golden Wednesday and prompted flood warnings around the province.

Some regions have been hit with as much as 130 millimetres of rain in the past 72 hours, with up to 70 millimetres of rain expected Wednesday and overnight.

A 147- kilometre stretch of Highway 1 between Revelstoke and Golden was closed in both directions after a mudslide struck early Wednesday morning. By the afternoon, the mud and debris that covered 400 metres of the Trans- Canada Highway was about three

metres deep.

The highway is expected to be closed until at least noon today as crews work to clear the debris.

Heavy rains have pelted much of the province throughout the past week.

Flood watches that came into effect earlier in the week were broadened to include parts of the Fraser, Shuswap and Eagle rivers, the Peace and Columbia regions, the Kootenays and Sicamous. Rivers in the South Interior, Okanagan and Kettle Valley were also expected to rise rapidly as rainfall continued overnight and into today.