City spokeswoman Brenda Balu told CNN that several hundred people live in Lowell Point, an unincorporated, heavily visited tourist area on the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage.
Marisa Beck, who owns a rental property in Seward, told CNN that there are many chalets and houses for rent in the area, and guests are now stuck in the city or unable to reach their rents. Many people take water taxis or their own boats to get to the other side of the slide.
No one was injured when the rink happened, Seward City manager Janet Bower said in a Facebook post on Saturday, and Balu confirmed.
Nathaniel Caole was on his way to walking his dogs on Saturday night when he noticed the hustle and bustle of Lowell Road and pulled over to the side of the road to see what was happening. He noticed that a stone blocked part of the road and the cops stopped the traffic.
“The rocks would keep falling and bigger ruins would come down from time to time, but there was no sign that the slide would be so wide.” Said Kaole.
“When the slide first started, I noticed that the first tree had fallen, and then I quickly saw all the trees fall up in unison,” Caole said.
The slide is about 300 feet wide, CNN affiliate KTUU reported, citing Ballou.
It is unclear what caused the landslide, but Lowell Road often has falling rocks and avalanches, according to Beck.
Last month, an avalanche 60 to 80 feet deep and 300 to 400 feet wide cut nearly 100 houses in Anchorage, about 2.5 hours north of Seward.
A local company is mobilizing to begin recovery efforts after geologists say the area is stable. The state is sending geologists with drone equipment to support the assessment effort, Balu said.
According to Balu, there are no damaged communal functions in the landslide and communication with Lowell Point remains open.
CNN contacted Seward police and fire departments for more information.
CNN’s Teresa Waldrop contributed to this report.
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