Colorado Stops Search for 3 Men Missing After Landslide, Another Mudslide Likely Coming [Video]

The search for three men who went missing after a landslide in Colorado Sunday night has been stopped.

Associated Press reports that Mesa County Sheriff Stan Hilkey called off the search on Tuesday out of fear of another landslide hitting the western Colorado area. The search may continue in the future.

"We don't want to create any more tragedy than we already have," Hilkey explained.

The missing men have been identified as Clancy Nichols, 51, a county road and bridge worker, Danny Nichols, 24, Clancy's son, and Wee Hawkins, 46, manager of the local water district. AP reports that the men were working to fix irrigation issues caused by the landslide.

"He was concerned for other families and their homes should the water system be compromised," Hawkins' family said in a statement.

According to Jonathan White, a Colorado Geological Survey geologist, another landslide is likely, due to water buildup formed in a depression thanks to Sunday's landslide, but it is impossible to determine when it will happen.

"We're having a significant amount of runoff that's flowing into that depression right now," he said. "That's a big concern."

Unfortunately, officials cannot do much to prevent a second landslide because geologists say the ground is still very unstable. Currently, the sheriff's office is contacting residents to prep them for a quick evacuation and alert them of the cellphone alert system. In addition, an automatic landline emergency alert system has been formed.

The Colorado landslide hit Collbran, located in the state's western region, at around 8:15 p.m. EDT on Sunday, NBC News reported. It was four miles long and about three-quarters of a mile wide, according to AP, and is estimated to have reached up to 250 feet in depth. The edges of the pile are 30 feet deep, according to Hilkey. The landslide was probably caused by runoff formed on the flat-topped Grand Mesa mountains after two days of heavy rain.

"The power of the slide itself is enormous," Hilkey said.

David Ludlam, West Slope Colorado Oil & Gas Association executive director, said that energy companies and wells are offline and may continue to be so for months.