Mum and daughter lucky to be alive after powerful landslide sweeps …

A mum and daughter had a narrow escape when their car was overcome by a landslide of mud and water^[1], as a police officer told them to run moments before the vehicle was swept over a cliff.

Kiera Smith and mum Fiona were travelling on the A83 in Argyll and Bute^[2] on Saturday morning when their vehicle was suddenly rushed with water. A passing police officer stopped to help but screamed at them to “run” seconds later as a mountain of muddy debris came barreling towards them.

The powerful flood swept their Vauxhall Zafira over the cliff edge and down 30ft into a ravine as the two women ran for safety while dodging rocks and tree branches. They were rescued by a kind-hearted lorry driver who managed to turn the vehicle round just seconds before a third landslide covered the roadway.

Concerned about the weather in Scotland? Follow our live blog here.^[3]

Kiera, 19, from Campbeltown, told the Daily Record^[5]: “After the car was washed away, we were just numb and in shock. When it properly hit us, we were just crying and couldn’t stop. The actions of that police officer most likely saved our lives. If she hadn’t screamed for us to run, I don’t know what would have happened. We’d probably have been taken over the edge with the car. It all just happened so quickly.”

Kiera and mum Fiona, 44, had been attempting to get to Ayr when they spotted rocks on the roadway. As they attempted to go around them, the car became stuck in a large puddle of water.

Keira added: “The police officer came over to try to help us move the car together. She got in, tried moving it, but within two seconds she jumped out of the car and screamed ‘run’.

“I think it’s the fastest my mum and I have ever run in our lives. We were running down the road screaming to all the other cars - there were about seven of them - telling them to go back.

“The second landslide hadn’t even all made its way down and our car was just gone, down into the ravine. It was like being in a wave pool. The landslide basically did that to our car. It looked effortless - like it was just pushed down into the ravine.

“The water was obviously washing the debris down and into the road. A rock shot past me at one point and very nearly hit me as I was running. There was a Tesco^[6] lorry driver there who was trying to make a delivery. He ended up having to abandon his load and he offered to take us to safety before he even thought of himself so we’re very grateful to him.

“Just as the lorry driver managed to turn round, a third landslide came down and hit exactly where we had just been. We’d literally moved just in time.”

People have been told to avoid journeys if possible as a result of heavy rainfall which has hit the country over the last 24 hours, with more to come tomorrow.

References

1. ^{^} a landslide of mud and water (www.mirror.co.uk)
2. ^{^} A83 in Argyll and Bute (www.mirror.co.uk)
3. ^{^} live blog here. (www.mirror.co.uk)
4. ^{^} Samsung vs Google: Phone owners offered free earbuds, but the cheapest price will surprise you (www.mirror.co.uk)
5. ^{^} Daily Record (www.dailyrecord.co.uk)
6. ^{^} Tesco (www.mirror.co.uk)