Excavators now onsite clearing landslide debris
The Sea to Sky highway remains closed in both directions at this hour, as a result of the landslide that swept down the hillside above Crystal Falls earlier today.
Emergency Social Services Director Mary Brown reports that heavy equipment is onsite, working to clear the debris.
Squamish RCMP have released a statement that the highway is closed in both directions, is not expected to reopen until midnight, and that there are no detours available at this time.
In a post on social media, North Shore Rescue has asked people not to take a detour marked as viable on Google maps, as it "consists of rough, likely snow-covered gravel forestry roads, and most importantly, goes through the closed, non-public access-gated Coquitlam Watershed."
For people stranded due to the highway closure, North Shore Emergency Management (NSEM) has opened an overnight reception centre at Lions Gate Community and Recreation Centre, located at 1733 Lions Gate Lane in North Vancouver.
This afternoon, Councillor Marcus Reuter said that he inspected the Magnesia Creek catchment area (above the region of the landslide) and that the infrastructure all appears intact, with no sign of the debris that litters the highway below.
Lions Bay Search and Rescue remain on the scene, though reports that at least one home has been damaged in the landslide have not been verified. Follow The Watershed for updates as more information becomes available.
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