At least three deaths have been linked to torrential rain from an atmospheric river weather system that hammered British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 south coast over the weekend.

On Vancouver Island, police said Tuesday that emergency personnel were waiting for an opportunity to safely recover the body of a driver whose vehicle was submerged when an overflowing river washed out a road near Bamfield on Saturday.

A statement from Port Alberni RCMP said they confirmed the personB次元官网网址檚 body was inside the vehicle on Monday, but high water levels and fast-moving currents in the Sarita River had so far prevented crews from accessing it.

The body of the another driver whose vehicle was also swept off Bamfield Road was earlier found a short distance from their truck, which was spotted in the water by a family member on Saturday night.

The same weather system set off a mudslide that swept away a home in the Metro Vancouver city of Coquitlam on Saturday. The body of a 57-year-old elementary school teacher was recovered in the wreckage on Sunday.

Police have also asked for the publicB次元官网网址檚 help locating a 59-year-old man who was last seen in an area beside the swollen Coquitlam River on Sunday afternoon.

Premier David Eby said the man had been walking by the river with his dog, which was found alive, but B次元官网网址渢roublinglyB次元官网网址� very wet, while its owner remains missing.

Environment Canada figures show Coquitlam was among the areas hardest hit by the atmospheric river, receiving 256 millimetres of rain between Friday and Sunday night.

The provinceB次元官网网址檚 River Forecast Centre had issued a flood warning for the Coquitlam River, downgrading it to a now-rescinded flood watch on Sunday.

Eby said the coronerB次元官网网址檚 service is investigating the death of another man in the Columbia Valley that B次元官网网址渕ay be associatedB次元官网网址� with the atmospheric river system.

B次元官网网址淢y heart goes out to the families of those who are missing, who have died. ItB次元官网网址檚 devastating for them and for their communities,B次元官网网址� Eby told a news conference.

B次元官网网址淭he shock, IB次元官网网址檓 sure, is overwhelming, and I know, where we donB次元官网网址檛 have answers yet, the waiting must be excruciating.B次元官网网址�

It continued to rain Monday in many areas, and Eby urged people to be B次元官网网址渆xtremely cautiousB次元官网网址� around waterways.

Eby said there are B次元官网网址渁lways lessonsB次元官网网址� when someone dies or there is significant property damage from weather-related disasters.

B次元官网网址淲e will be reviewing and ensuring that any lessons that can be taken here about future rainfall or flooding-related incidents are taken into account in terms of the specific deaths we saw here.B次元官网网址�