Western Canada braces for more torrential rain after deadly mudslides

Teams in British Columbia scramble to reinforce dykes as provincial officials forecast up to 150mm of rain in wake of atmospheric river'

Crews in British Columbia raced to clear debris from motorways and repair dykes as the Canadian province braced for more downpours on Sunday, just days after record rainfall led to the deaths of four people, brought parts of the province to a standstill and sparked shortages of food and fuel.

The western Canadian province declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after parts of the province were pummelled by a phenomenon known as an atmospheric river", dumping a month's worth of rain in two days and causing floods and mudslides that swallowed bridges and stretches of highways, cut off entire towns and forced the evacuation of thousands of people.