BC landslide: Fears of giant water gush in Chilcotin River rise

In the Caribou region of B.C. — about 600km northeast of Vancouver — there are hopes tonight that a serious flooding disaster may be averted.

On Tuesday night, a giant landslide came down, blocking the Chilcotin River.

That river flows into the much larger Fraser River and when the blockage gives way, a rush of water could ensue.

Catherine Urquhart has the latest.

#GlobalNews

[drawyrral]

No panic; the river will cut a new path through the landslide. Stuff like this has been happening for millions of years.

[brokentablespodcast]

Over 9 million cubic meters of mountain stuck in mud. I'd be surprised if it burst/gave way. I'm betting on a new lake being born and the overflow finding it's way back down the rivers path.

[johnnydoe]

They're saying it could cause an ecological disaster, but this is nature doing natural things. These types of things have happened for hundreds of years and nature always recovers. It's man that seems to struggle to "survive".

[Cristoforo]

The breach could start with what’s called “piping”, small underground veins of water finding their way through to the other side. The soil is mostly sandy and porous

[virginiacharlotte]

Imagine if that ‘hold my beer while I continue fishing’ guy was your Dad. 🤦‍♀️

[MrUranium]

Once in a lifetime natural phenomena we all get to witness and celebrate as a community 😀

[timgileo]

I'm no expert but when it first happened why couldn't they blow it up.

[bobbliss]

Geology in real time, usually one would have to sit around for a hundred years to see something like this. I saw the helicopter flight up this river and it looks like a whole lot of places where this could/will happen.

[mundall]

Thank you for sharing this update. Previous landslides in Chilcotin such as the 1964 event didn’t result in catastrophic breach but they gradually eroded a channel from the top down.

[Machoman-mphm]

Don't think twice just move out before is too late.

[IEA_]

They’ve been saying 24-48 hours for over 48 hours now

[daviddiehl-gysq]

Why not dig a channel and let the river dig a new base.

[plicketyplunk]

Sending positive vibes to everyone that is affected by this situation. I am at the mouth of the Fraser but so far no warnings here.😮

[MetaView]

The dam is one km long. It is not going to burst.

[wallacegrommet]

Let's all avoid that Hope fishing excursion outfit.
His bottom line mote important than his guests.
Guys like this always justifies their actions

[richardbolduc]

I would imagine it would slowly start to beech the top then very quickly start washing out the dam. Won’t be a sudden burst but once enough water flows over the top it won’t take long.

[ianleslie]

Hells Gate canyon could be a disaster with all the displaced trees.

[Jscribe]

It's going to take a long time for the new lake to drain. A new stream is going to have to figure out a way to cut through the landslide, which is huge. It's not going to get pushed out of the way all at once.

[register]

drone flying made illegal today. Do you have word if mouth of river is dry? 600 meters of blockage, we have another week+ before this tops over. Why not dynamite a channel out now? That salmon run is going to be wrecked for years.

[Inlinetodie]

Rainy season is a month away, means this will swell and flood towards the coast, why isn't that being mentioned 😮