Residents air lifted out as rising Churchill River threatens Labrador town

HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, N.L. — Police in Labrador say residents of a small community surrounded by water are being evacuated as an ice jam causes a river to swell and flood the area.

RCMP Cpl. Rick Mills says the air lifts from Mud Lake began at about 5 a.m. local time today as the Churchill River continued to rise and threaten residents of the largely seasonal community.

He says the ice is blocked up at the mouth of the river going into Lake Melville, causing water to back up to most people’s houses.

Local provincial legislature member Perry Trimper says homes have been lost, and the Churchill River is as it has never been before but some people are choosing to stay in Mud Lake.