Avalanche closes Canadian highway

MERRITT , British Columbia, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A busy highway in the Canadian province of British Columbia has been closed due to harsh weather and avalanche hazards, it was reported Saturday.

Crews were unable to control avalanche hazards on the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt because of severe weather conditions that could keep it closed to traffic through the weekend, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported .

"I apologize to the public and the trucking community for the inconvenience but we are not going to put lives at risk by opening it prematurely," Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said.

Crews reportedly were able to remove snow after an avalanche hit the highway Thursday, but had yet to properly secure the area for drivers' safety.

"Oh, I think it's a safe thing to do. I mean there's avalanches in the area, so definitely they have to take that into account, keep everybody safe," a driver said.