One killed, three missing in Canadian floods

A 37-year-old man has been confirmed killed. In Quebec and British Columbia authorities are still looking for three others who are missing, including a two-year-old toddler.

Families are evacuated by firefighters in the flooded Montreal borough of Pierrefonds on May 8, 2017.
TRT World and Agencies

Families are evacuated by firefighters in the flooded Montreal borough of Pierrefonds on May 8, 2017.

One person has been killed and three others are missing in floods that have struck Canada, causing widespread damage in the provinces of Quebec and British Columbia.

Canadian authorities have deployed more than 1,000 troops to help in relief operations, while as many as 2,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes.

Canadian journalist Sean Mallen told TRT World that a 37-year-old man had died near Sainte-Anne-des-Monts in the Gaspe region of eastern Quebec.

"On Sunday he was driving with his wife and two-year-old daughter when his car was swept into the river," he said.

The toddler was still reported as missing, while the man's wife had managed to swim to safety.

Schools and government buildings were closed in some areas as the province grappled with the worst flooding in decades. Montreal, Quebec's largest city, declared a state of emergency on Sunday and the military was sent in to assist.

TRT World spoke to journalist Sean Mallen in Canada for the latest on the floods.

A combination of torrential rains and runoff from melting snow has caused rivers to overflow their banks from Ottawa to Montreal, posing critical challenges for people already exhausted by weeks of seemingly unending rainfall.

The city of Montreal said in a statement that it would take several days for the situation to get back to normal.

In British Columbia, on the opposite side of the country, the same combination of rain and snowmelt has caused flooding and mudslides that left at least two people missing, including the fire chief of the village of Cache Creek who had been out checking water levels.

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