By The Canadian Press

Death toll rises to three after atmospheric river that drenched southern B.C.

Oct 22, 2024 | 2:42 PM

At least three deaths have been linked to torrential rain from an atmospheric river weather system that hammered British Columbia’s south coast over the weekend.

On Vancouver Island, police said Tuesday that emergency personnel were waiting for an opportunity to safely recover the body of a driver whose vehicle was submerged when an overflowing river washed out a road near Bamfield on Saturday.

A statement from Port Alberni RCMP said they confirmed the person’s body was inside the vehicle on Monday, but high water levels and fast-moving currents in the Sarita River had so far prevented crews from accessing it.

The body of the another driver whose vehicle was also swept off Bamfield Road was earlier found a short distance from their truck, which was spotted in the water by a family member on Saturday night.

The same weather system set off a mudslide that swept away a home in the Metro Vancouver city of Coquitlam on Saturday. The body of a 57-year-old elementary school teacher was recovered in the wreckage on Sunday.

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Police have also asked for the public’s help locating a 59-year-old man who was last seen in an area beside the swollen Coquitlam River on Sunday afternoon.

Premier David Eby said the man had been walking by the river with his dog, which was found alive, but “troublingly” very wet, while its owner remains missing.

Environment Canada figures show Coquitlam was among the areas hardest hit by the atmospheric river, receiving 256 millimetres of rain between Friday and Sunday night.

The province’s River Forecast Centre had issued a flood warning for the Coquitlam River, downgrading it to a now-rescinded flood watch on Sunday.

Eby said the coroner’s service is investigating the death of another man in the Columbia Valley that “may be associated” with the atmospheric river system.

“My heart goes out to the families of those who are missing, who have died. It’s devastating for them and for their communities,” Eby told a news conference.

“The shock, I’m sure, is overwhelming, and I know, where we don’t have answers yet, the waiting must be excruciating.”

It continued to rain Monday in many areas, and Eby urged people to be “extremely cautious” around waterways.

Eby said there are “always lessons” when someone dies or there is significant property damage from weather-related disasters.

“We will be reviewing and ensuring that any lessons that can be taken here about future rainfall or flooding-related incidents are taken into account in terms of the specific deaths we saw here.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press