The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Nova Scotia announced the death of a young man from Wolfville in a flash flood on Thursday night.

Corporal Ed Nugent from the RCMP said at a press conference on Friday afternoon that the young man was playing with friends in a park on Highland Street when the flash flood occurred. Wolfville is located about 100 kilometers northwest of Halifax.

The RCMP stated that the young man was swept into a water-filled ditch at approximately 7:40 PM and disappeared under the rushing water. They did not disclose the name, age, or gender of the victim.

The RCMP said that the water drainage system in the area was diverted as part of the search efforts.

The police stated that the young man's body was found around 11:30 PM. It is unclear where the body was found.

Nugent added that the search operation was complicated by heavy rain, rising water levels, and the eventual darkness.

He stated that he was not aware of any other search and rescue operations in the area due to the flooding.

At the press conference, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston described the day as a devastating one for the province, saying that all residents of Nova Scotia feel sorrow with the victim's family. "These are truly hard things to deal with."

In a press release issued earlier that day, Houston said he was "deeply saddened to hear of the death of a young man in Wolfville as a result of the sudden floods."

Houston added that the province has faced many shocks in recent years, including wildfires last summer, as well as historic floods that left four dead.

He stated, "These feelings are certainly amplified with the loss of youth today."

Houston reported that there is significant infrastructure damage throughout the province, and that about 30 roads remain closed due to flood damage, although up to 35 roads were closed last night.

An emergency warning for flash flooding was issued in the counties of Digby, Annapolis, Kings, and Hants on Thursday evening, as remnants of the post-tropical storm Pearl swept through the western part of the province. The province issued the alert at 8:30 PM.

Michael Gardiner, the farm manager at the Heniger Farm Market in Wolfville, stated that the storm on Thursday was the worst he had ever seen.

Gardiner noted that while he had seen more rain before, the speed at which the rain fell was different, and how it caused flash flooding, "It was literally like a blink of an eye."

He said they opened both ends of the market to allow water to flow through the store, noting that a crew was on-site today to clean up the mess.

He said, "It destroyed everything." "There’s mud everywhere. It’s really bad."

There is an outdoor section of the business that includes a petting zoo. Gardiner mentioned that the goat barn was filled with about a meter of water and he had to carry it outside.