Heavy floods in Canada on June 21, 2013.
Heavy floods caused by torrential rain in Canada have killed three, forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents and shut down the Canadian oil capital of Calgary.
On Friday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the bodies of two men were found near High River, Alberta, a town located about 60 km south of Calgary. The police also said that two other people were missing.
Officials in the western Canadian city also ordered the evacuation of its downtown, following the overflow of the Bow and Elbow that run through it.
Schools and court trials were rained off, electricity was cut off, and the transit service was shut down in the area, reports say.
Å“This is a tragic situation,” said Alberta Premier Alison Redford at a press conference
“I think in the circumstances the response has been incredibly effective, but that doesn’t mean that people aren’t impacted. This is a natural disaster,” he added.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited the flood-stricken area with local authorities on Friday and said his government “is taking swift action.”
“Members of the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces are already on the ground helping with search and rescue, evacuation and other logistics and our government stands ready to provide all the support required,” Harper said in a statement.
Chris Scott, director of meteorology at The Weather Network, said, “The flooding situation is very acute in the foothills and the mountains.” He added that 220 millimeters had fallen in 36 hours near Canmore in the Canadian Rockies.
“Now all that water is rushing downstream and that’s why the situation is so bad in Calgary. This is an unprecedented flooding event,” he said.
IA/NN
This article originally appeared on: Press TV