By The Canadian Press

Two dead, one missing in B.C. after mudslide, road washout triggered by heavy rain

Oct 21, 2024 | 11:36 AM

Police in British Columbia say two people are dead and another is missing, thought to be inside a submerged vehicle, after a weekend of torrential rain that triggered mudslides, road washouts and localized flooding.

A 57 year-old elementary school teacher has been identified as the woman found dead Sunday after her home on the outskirts of Coquitlam, B.C., was swept away by a mudslide the day before.

Don Hutchinson, principal of Aspenwood Elementary in Port Moody, B.C., said the school community is struggling with the death of Sonya McIntyre, and “support will be in place as long as necessary for students and staff.”

Environment Canada figures show the Metro Vancouver city was among the hardest hit by an atmospheric river that drenched B.C.’s south coast, receiving 256 millimetres of rain between Friday and Sunday night.

On the west coast of Vancouver Island, another person was found dead Saturday night and a second driver is missing after what police described as a “washout” along Bamfield Road.

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Both vehicles were found submerged in the Sarita River, and police believe the second person is still inside one of them, Port Alberni RCMP said in a statement Monday.

Search and rescue personnel were waiting for an opportunity to conduct a swift-water recovery, the Mounties said.

One of the drivers was travelling from Bamfield to Victoria, while the other was driving from Port Alberni to Bamfield, and both were reported missing Saturday evening when they failed to arrive at their destinations, police said.

The Mounties said they used cellphone towers to locate one of the missing drivers within a three-kilometre radius of the 58-kilometre mark of Bamfield Road.

A helicopter was deployed, along with Alberni Valley Search and Rescue, but it was a family member of the missing driver who spotted the truck just before 9 p.m.

The RCMP statement said the darkness and fast-flowing water prevented emergency personnel from confirming whether the vehicle was occupied, and the body of the missing driver was later found a short distance away.

B.C.’s River Forecast Centre had issued flood warnings for waterways on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island on Saturday, as well as the Coquitlam River in Metro Vancouver.

Coquitlam RCMP said officers responded to the mudslide near Pinecone Burke Provincial Park midday on Saturday, and found one home had been “swept away.”

Police notified the family of the mudslide victim, but they would not provide more details about the slide and its “deeply tragic” outcome, the Mounties said Monday.

The rainfall warnings and flood advisories that had spanned the south coast over the weekend have been lifted, but communities are still mopping up.

In the District of North Vancouver, a state of local emergency remains in effect and six homes are on evacuation order in the Deep Cove neighbourhood.

Images shared on social media on Saturday showed brown torrents of water pouring down on waterfront homes on Panorama Drive in Deep Cove.

Pictures of the aftermath showed gravel and boulders piled up against the homes, as well as shattered roads and driveways.

The evacuation order, issued on Sunday, followed assessments that found the potential failure of private infrastructure was creating a risk to public safety, the district said in a statement.

Sunday’s rain set several daily rainfall records, including in West Vancouver, with 134.6 millimetres, and in Langley, which saw 117.6 millimetres.

Overall, West Vancouver received a total of 203 millimetres of rain between Friday and Sunday, while Vancouver harbour saw 175 millimetres.

On Vancouver Island, Environment Canada said the Kennedy Lake area north of Ucluelet had nearly 320 millimetres since Friday, while Tofino saw 218 millimetres.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press