By David F. Rooney
Hundreds of travellers were trapped by avalanches in Rogers Pass overnight Saturday, a Parks Canada spokesman said Sunday.
Omar McDadi said about 200 commercial trucks and about 40 passenger vehicles were stuck at Rogers Pass Summit while another 100 trucks and 40 cars were stranded at Beaver Valley and a smaller number of vehicles had to spend the night near Hemlock due to two avalanches at the Bench and Mortar slide paths.
“These were like the canary in the coal mine,” he said.
There are 144 slide paths between the summit and Revelstoke and Parks officials decided that public safety demanded the Trans-Canada be closed until the two avalanches and the rest of slide paths were cleared.
No one was injured during the two avalanches.
The highway was reopened at about 5 pm Sunday, McDadi said.
Here are some photos take in Rogers Pass during the closure:
