© The Canadian Press / Jonathan HaywardA mudslide covers Highway 1 east of Chilliwack, B.C. Wednesday, June 29, 2011.
A mudslide hit Highway 1 Wednesday, trapping at least one driver and leaving work crews scrambling to remove debris and eliminate the possibility of further victims.
Front-end loaders and trucks worked into Wednesday night on the stretch of highway between Chilliwack and Hope in an attempt to clear the road before the rush of vacationers descends on the highway for the long weekend.
The slide left a mess five metres deep and 60 metres wide across the eastbound lanes of the highway, about 100 metres from the Herrling Island exit.
"We weren't able to see that there was [anyone else trapped] by foot, but the equipment, as it begins to move the debris will make a determination if there's anyone else impacted," said RCMP Sgt. Peter Thiessen.
"The mudslide is large enough that it could easily cover a number of vehicles and we wouldn't know it until we uncovered them."
A woman whose vehicle was flipped over and pushed against the median escaped with minor injuries, said B.C. Attorney-General and Chilliwack-Hope MLA Barry Penner. Penner toured the site Wednesday afternoon and said cleanup crews began work at about 3:45 p.m., after geotechnical experts concluded the area was safe.