Four missing as 3 months worth of rainfall floods Canada's Nova Scotia

At least two children are among the four people who have been reported missing in Nova Scotia, Canada after three months worth of torrential rainfall flooded the Canadian province, according to police.

Authorities have said that recent rains have been the heaviest the Atlantic region has seen in 50 years that have also prompted severe flooding leaving thousands of homes without electricity while over 80,000 people were left without power at one point.

In some areas, three months' worth of rain fell in just 24 hours. Locals of the area have been advised to refrain from participating in search operations for the missing people due to the risky conditions.

According to the police, the two missing children had been left behind in a car that was submerged by flood waters, while the three other people in the car managed to escape.

Additionally, a man and a young individual have also been reported missing after their vehicle was also submerged while two other people were rescued from the vehicle.

As a result of the disastrous rains, roads have been washed away and bridges have been weakened in Nova Scotia, where a state of emergency has been announced in some areas, the BBC reported.

"We have a scary, significant situation," said Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, adding that at least seven bridges would have to be replaced or rebuilt.

"The property damage to homes is pretty unimaginable," he told a news conference. He estimated that it could take several days for the waters to recede.

Meanwhile, CBC reported that more than 400 homes in the Fancy Lake area near Bridgewater, Nova Scotia have been evacuated due to flooding after heavy rains and the removal of logs from a nearby dam, which has been partially opened to prevent a breach.

While speaking at a news conference Saturday, Municipality of the District of Lunenburg Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson informed that as the flooding in the area was severe, 435 homes had been evacuated.

"We need to make sure that our residents are safe," Bolivar-Getson said. "The main concern is for life right now."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his extreme concern about the floods and promised that the government "will be there" for the province.

According to Environment Canada, torrential rain in the eastern area of the province could continue into Sunday.

"People should not assume that everything is over. This is a very dynamic situation," Halifax Mayor Mike Savage told a press conference.

He added that the city had been hit by "biblical proportions of rain".

Recently, Canada suffered extreme wildfires that have burnt a record area while severe flooding over the weekend is the latest extreme weather event to hit northeast Canada.

Previously, extreme flooding has also been observed in the US which has resulted in reports of many people missing and a continuous rise in the death toll including the death of a two-year-old girl in Pennsylvania while her nine-month-old brother is still missing.

According to scientists, floods are consistent with climate change, as the Earth's warming leads to more moisture in the atmosphere, causing more droplets and heavier rainfall.

Scientists cannot definitively determine the cause, but the situation is consistent with the expected changes in a warming world.