People trapped on Sasquatch Mountain by landslide return home safe

Trapped skiers rescued from mountain top People stuck at Sasquatch Mountain Resort after a massive washout destroyed a road are now safely back home.

VANCOUVER — Everyone who was trapped at Sasquatch Mountain Resort following Friday night's landslide has been allowed to return home.

As many as 500 people were initially stuck at the ski resort after last week's rainstorm triggered major flooding and washouts on the roads around Harrison Lake.

Provincial crews have been working around the clock to clear the access points ever since, and on Monday were able to temporarily reopen Hemlock Valley Road so people could head home.

That was welcome news to resort guests who had been told it might be several more days before they could drive off the mountain.

The closures allow crews full access for repair work, the ministry said in an emailed statement.

"Crews continue to work around the clock until we can safely reopen the road to single-lane alternating traffic. Subject to weather, it is anticipated this will happen in the coming days."

About 250 people had already left the mountain in helicopters over the weekend, at a cost of $150 per person. Chilliwack-Kent MLA Laurie Throness believes the province should be covering the cost of those flights.

Apart from trying to repair the road, Throness said the government "has not provided any emergency assistance" to people in the area.

"The province, really, has been nowhere for Hemlock," he said. "It's not provided any evacuation assistance, no fuel."

The stretch of Hemlock Valley Road washed out after a heavy rainfall hit B.C.'s South Coast from Thursday to Saturday, pouring 50 to 100 millimetres of rain on the region, and causing flooding and landslides in many areas.

On Rockwell Drive north of Harrison Hot Springs, 32 homes remain under evacuation order after another river spilled its banks.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ben Miljure and The Canadian Press