Heavy rainfall has caused significant flooding in the mountains, closing sections of Highway 5 and washing away the ground beneath a section of CN rail.

The section of damaged rail line is located near Hope and is part of the main CN railway line.

“CN crews are responding to incidents related to the heavy rainfall that has been occurring throughout the lower BC mainland,” said CN in a statement.

“No one has been injured, no cars derailed and no product has been spilled.”

The company said it will provide further updates as the situation develops.

READ MORE: State of emergency declared for Cowichan Valley after heavy rain, flooding

Sections of Hope are also without power after heavy winds and rain hit the region, according to BC Hydro, and there is no estimated for when power will be fully restored in the region.

Highway 1 north of Hope is closed beyond Yale, where multiple slides have dropped onto the road.

Dennis Adamson, the Director for the Fraser Valley Regional District Area B, which includes the area surrounding Hope, is currently at the community centre in Yale.

“The power’s flickered on and off about five times today,” said Adamson. “They’ve got generators at the centre that turn on when the power’s gone off.”

According to Adamson, a number of residents from the nearby RV park are staying in the Yale motel, after the park was flooded and the southern half ordered to evacuate.

“The [culvert] was blocked, so it caused the creek to overflow, and it changed directions,” said Adamson. “It took out all the houses 20 to 30 feet below the highway 1 at that point, and it washed all the mud off the banks into the trailer park and buried several trailers.”

“The fire chief, Bruce Marshall, he led his people down and they went door to door looking for people. They had to dig out a 102-year-old gentleman, they had kick through his doors, because the mud was past his doors.”

Cowichan Valley has also declared a state of emergency following the storms, and evacuations are currently taking place.

CN Rail, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, and the District of Hope were contacted by Black Press, but did not immediately respond to an interview request.

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