Rock slide closes Highway 3 near Keremeos, B.C.

A rock slide has closed a major southern British Columbia highway in both directions outside Keremeos, about 300 kilometres east of Vancouver.

The Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District issued an evacuation order for residents at two addresses sandwiched between Highway 3 and the Similkameen River within hours of the Sunday night slide.

The regional district has also imposed a state of local emergency for the rural area roughly halfway between the village of Keremeos and the community of Hedley.

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Another South Okanagan ER temporarily closes

Fortis BC, which provides electricity in the region, says the “unstable ground conditions” have caused a power outage affecting 114 customers.

A note on the utility’s website estimates lights could be back on by 2 p.m.

DriveBC, the province’s online traveller information system, is not estimating when the highway might reopen and is proposing a detour that involves a route through Merritt and West Kelowna, adding more than 300 kilometres to the journey.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2023.