Thousands of tourists are left stranded after flash flooding tears apart remote ... trends now
Around 2,000 travelers were stranded when flash floods split a scenic California highway route during a busy Easter Weekend commute.
A chunk of Highway 1's southbound lane broke off near Big Sur and slid into the ocean below, stalling traffic for hours on Saturday afternoon.
Officials with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) urged motorists to avoid the highway along the central coast.
The area was closed in both directions near Rocky Creek Bridge, about 17 miles south of Monterey, after the road lost a chunk of asphalt as well as the stone barrier separating it from the cliff's edge.
Many of the stranded travelers had been passing through over the holiday and were forced to sleep in nearby accommodations - or their cars.
A chunk of Highway 1's southbound lane and the stone barrier along the cliff's edge tumbled into the water below on Saturday afternoon
The damage prompted road closures in both directions, leaving some 2,000 motorists stranded
Many of the travelers had been passing through over Easter Weekend and were forced to shelter in nearby hotels or sleep in their cars
Linda Molinari and her boyfriend were among the people who sheltered at Big Sur Lodge. which was designated an emergency shelter Saturday night.
Speaking to the New York Times, Molinari said the couple planned to make a day trip to Big Sur for lunch and ended up arriving around 4 pm Saturday.
After hearing about the fragmented highway, they opted to head back, but were met with a roadblock and instructed to turn around.
'We came here just to have lunch and go home, and now it’s like everyone is trapped here,' Molinari told the publication. 'All the little hotels and stuff, you could tell everybody
