A landslide near West Virginia’s busiest airport has forced the evacuation of 25 families, covered a house and destroyed a church, an airport spokesman said on Friday.
The slide near the end of a runway at Charleston’s Yeager Airport began on Thursday and was slowly continuing, spokesman Brian Belcher said. Airport operations were unaffected.
About a third of a landfill area gave way and slid into Elk Twomile Creek at the bottom of the slope, causing some flooding. Authorities were worried about a forecast 2 inches of rain on Friday, he said.
“We don’t know how we’re going to keep ahead of that. That’s our big concern,” Belcher said.
The slide covered a uninhabited home and destroyed a church. Area residents were evacuated.
The cause of the slide was unknown but heavy rain in the first half of February may have contributed to it, Belcher said.