Mysterious island appears and then vanishes in Canadian reservoir

A huge floating island covered in trees mysteriously appeared in a Canadian reservoir before vanishing just weeks later, leaving officials unsure where the bizarre landmass has gone.

The strange sighting occurred at British Columbia’s Williston Reservoir, where boaters spotted what appeared to be a fully formed island drifting through the water. The floating mass was enormous, measuring roughly the equivalent of two NFL football fields.

Satellite imagery taken on July 21 confirmed that the unusual landmass was real and showed it floating about 60 miles west of the W.A.C. Bennett Dam. But by August 5, the island had disappeared from satellite images. The utility responsible for managing the reservoir has yet to determine exactly what happened to it.

A spokesperson told CBC that the island may not have sunk at all, suggesting it could have drifted back towards the shoreline or moved into a more sheltered section of the vast reservoir. Officials believe unusually high water levels may have helped tear the island away from the shoreline, after which strong winds could have carried it across the reservoir.

The mysterious disappearance has left the possibility that the huge mass of vegetation is still somewhere on the reservoir, hidden from view. For now, officials have no confirmed explanation for exactly where the floating island ended up — meaning the vast reservoir may still be home to a runaway island.