Rock slide blocking northern B.C. highway; no detour available

A photo from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure shows a rock slide blocking a northern B.C. highway on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.

VANCOUVER – A rock slide that happened Tuesday was still blocking a remote stretch of northern B.C. highway the next day.

The slide on Highway 51 near Dease Lake was captured in photos posted by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on Tuesday.

Images show a large pile of rocks and other debris completely blocking Telegraph Creek Road in a spot about 19 kilometres east of Telegraph Creek.

The ministry said no injuries were reported, but the road was closed. From messages posted on the ministry's DriveBC Twitter account, it appears the closure began around 10 a.m. Tuesday.

In updates posted shortly before 8 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. Wednesday, officials said it was still closed.

There is no detour available, Drive BC said.  A geotechnical assessment is in progress, and the next update on the status will be at 4 p.m.

Traffic cameras in the area show some snow on the ground in the area.

The forecast for from the closest Environment Canada weather station, in Dease Lake, shows a high of -7 C, but it was a cool -15 Wednesday morning. More snow is possible in the evening, ending overnight, the weather agency says.

This is a developing news story and will be updated when new information is available.