Death toll expected to rise in Canada amid massive floods and landslides

Canadian authorities said on Wednesday they expect the death toll from massive floods and landslides in the British Columbia region to rise, Reuters reported.

Authorities have confirmed that one person has died and three people are missing due to the torrential rains and mudslides that destroyed roads and and towns.

The floods have cut off access to the country’s largest port in Vancouver, which has exacerbated an already strained global supply chain issue, according to Reuters 

A spokesman for Tulameen, a town northeast of Vancouver told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC) that 400 people were trapped there with many not having power. 

“(We) did a helicopter flight recently, dropped off food,” the spokesman said. 

Provincial Premier John Horgan said at a news conference that the event is a “once-in-500-year event.” 

“We will bring in travel restrictions and ensure that transportation of essential goods and medical and emergency services are able to reach the communities that need them,” Horgan said. 

The flooding is the second natural disaster to hit the British Columbia region in the past few months. 

In June a massive wildfire in the same region destroyed a small town, Reuters reported. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the government will help the province recover from the natural, calling it a “terrifically bad situation.”