200 campers stranded as Squamish forest road washes out
'This area is susceptible to wash-outs,' forests spokesperson says
UPDATE | Police estimate close to 350 campers stranded in Squamish Valley
A section of a forest service road near Squamish, B.C., has washed out, leaving around 200 people stranded on the other side.
A spokesperson with B.C.'s Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations says the office received a call at 8:00 a.m. PT Sunday morning, advising staff that a section of the Squamish River Forest Service Road was washed out approximately 23 kilometres in at Mud Creek.
Communications director Vivian Thomas said that a number of people who were trying to leave the area Sunday were helped out by ministry staff, local RCMP and staff from the Squamish First Nation.
"Given it's a quasi-long weekend, most are choosing to stay," Thomas said in a written statement.
The ministry said it hopes the road will be re-opened by late Monday afternoon.
It also said that the forest service road has had washouts in that section in the past.
Google Map: Mouth of Mud (Turbid) Creek
With files from the CBC's Farrah Merali