Canada’s government has mobilized troops to help rescue people trapped by “historic flooding” on the country’s west coast, near the Pacific Ocean, where heavy rains caused authorities to declare a state of emergency.

The rain left one person dead and four missing, forcing thousands of residents to flee and isolating the port city of Vancouver, in the province of British Columbia.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is in Washington to meet US President Joe Biden and Mexican President López Obrador, said the rains had triggered “historic and horrific flooding” in British Columbia. .

“I can confirm that there are hundreds of members of the Canadian Armed Forces heading to British Columbia to help everyone,” Trudeau said.

The provincial prime minister, John Horgan, declared a state of emergency, banning travel and saying the rains were “devastating entire communities”. “Regrettably, we hope to confirm more deaths in the coming days.”.

So far, the body of a woman has been found in the landslide area near Lillooet, 250 km from Vancouver.

The extreme rains come months after a historic heat wave in the British Columbia region killed 500 people and started wildfires.

“The frequency of these events has increased due to the effects of man-made climate change,” said Horgan.

The provincial prime minister also appealed to residents to calm down, after many residents rushed to stockpile and some markets ran out of produce. “You don’t need 48 eggs. Twelve is enough, leave the rest for others.”

Hundreds of roads remain closed, and Vancouver is isolated from the rest of Canada. Nearly 300 drivers blocked on the road have been rescued after the rains subsided.

Railway lines in the city which has one of the country’s most important ports were also stopped due to the landslide.