- A large floating island appeared then disappeared in British Columbia's Williston Reservoir.
- The island measured about 230 feet by 460 feet, nearly two NFL fields in size.
- BC Hydro confirmed the island's existence using satellite images from July 21.
In a bizarre case from Canada, a massive island mysteriously emerged in a remote reservoir before vanishing from sight just weeks later. The floating landmass covered with trees was spotted in British Columbia's Williston Reservoir, a massive man-made lake north of Mackenzie, last month.
A local boater photographed the unusual sight before sharing the footage with resident Rocky Avery, whose Facebook post attracted more than 140,000 views.
“It was a pretty amazing sight to see, never seen anything like that in my 40 years in this country," Avery was quoted as saying by CBC.
“There was a big fishing derby coming up, so I wanted to make sure everybody was aware of what was going on. And I wanted BC Hydro to know too that it was out there, just in case it was floating down their way.”
BC Hydro is a government-owned utility company that provides hydroelectric power to most of British Columbia. After being apprised of the island's existence, the company initially questioned if it was indeed real.
“It's certainly something we've not heard of before. And with not very many people reporting it, it was difficult to locate," said company spokesman Bob Gammer.
Satellite imagery dated July 21 confirmed that the island was real and floating in the main body of the reservoir west of Finlay Bay, about 60 miles west of the WAC Bennett Dam.
The island was estimated to be about 230 feet wide and 460 feet long, covering roughly 105,000 square feet, nearly the size of two NFL football fields. However, by August 5, the island had vanished from satellite imagery.
Check The Viral Post Here:
Reacting to Avery's post, social media users expressed surprise at the discovery, and posited several theories about the island's genesis.
"Those aspen poplars can form large clumps of clones, or offshoot all related to a single mother tree. So all the roots can be interconnected and actually connecting each tree with the next," said one user while another added: "I'm moving there next week if I can find it. Got to escape this heat."
A third commented: "Judging from how the trees are all bobbing up and down, I'd say the "island" is felled trees/logs. Probably collected over time and sprouted saplings all over until this."
A fourth said: "Man, I should move back and claim this island; it's not real land so the government can't say anything, put an outboard on it and call it a day."
