A quiet weekend in the small community of Lillooet, British Columbia, turned into heartbreak after a powerful mudslide swept through the Fraser Canyon region. Triggered by relentless rainfall, the disaster claimed four lives, left another person missing, and destroyed homes, vehicles, and critical infrastructure.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed the fatalities after days of intense search-and-rescue operations. The first victim recovered was a woman found near the slide zone, followed by three men discovered in the following days. Despite the use of specialized teams, drones, and search dogs, one individual remains unaccounted for.
Highway 99—the town’s vital link to the rest of the province—was buried under debris and remains closed, cutting off supply lines and isolating the community. Locals describe the slide as unlike anything they had seen before.
“I’ve lived here for 40 years. Fires, floods, slides—I’ve seen them all. But nothing like this,” said one longtime resident. “The ground just gave way, and in seconds, lives were gone.”
As families grieve and the community reels, officials warn that unstable terrain continues to threaten rescue crews. The emotional toll deepens as residents await answers to how this disaster unfolded…
