Close X
Monday, October 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

One dead, another missing after Vancouver Island road washout

Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Oct, 2024 01:13 PM
  • One dead, another missing after Vancouver Island road washout
 

Police on the west coast of Vancouver Island say one person has been found dead and another is missing after a road washout near Bamfield. 

RCMP in Port Alberni say a truck was found fully submerged in the Sarita River Saturday night after a "washout," and the body of the driver was later found nearby.

The Mounties say a second vehicle has also been found in the river, and it's believed the other missing person is inside, while search and rescue personnel are waiting for an opportunity to conduct a swift-water recovery.

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

The death comes after police in Coquitlam say a 57-year-old woman was found dead Sunday when her home was swept away in a mudslide caused by record-setting rain that drenched British Columbia's south coast over the weekend.

Coquitlam RCMP say officers responded to the slide near Pinecone Burke Provincial Park midday on Saturday, and found one home had been "swept away."

On Vancouver Island, RCMP say 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.

RCMP say 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.

Environment Canada figures show Coquitlam was among the hardest hit by the rain over the weekend, receiving 256 millimetres between Friday and Sunday night.

RCMP say they have notified the family of the mudslide victim, but would not provide more details about the slide and its "deeply tragic" outcome.

MORE National ARTICLES

Rescuers in B.C. hope AI will help reunite orphaned whale with its family

Rescuers in B.C. hope AI will help reunite orphaned whale with its family
The B.C.-based whale research group Bay Cetology is offering access to its online AI-assisted photo database to local photographers and tour operators as part of efforts to track the whale's relatives, giving the calf a chance to connect with its pod. 

Rescuers in B.C. hope AI will help reunite orphaned whale with its family

BC man sentenced to life imprisonment for murder at a grow-op

BC man sentenced to life imprisonment for murder at a grow-op
A British Columbia man has been sentenced to life in prison for a murder at a Mission grow-op. In a decision posted online last week, Van Chau Nguyen pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Vien Bui, who died in August of 2020.  

BC man sentenced to life imprisonment for murder at a grow-op

Unstable nearby construction site forces evacuation of apartment in Kelowna

Unstable nearby construction site forces evacuation of apartment in Kelowna
More than 80 residents of a low-income apartment building in Kelowna, B.C., have been told they need to leave over a "significant" risk to life and safety. A statement from BC Housing says the 84 people who live in Hadgraft Wilson Place will have to move out by Tuesday due to concerns over construction activity at a nearby University of British Columbia-Okanagan site.  

Unstable nearby construction site forces evacuation of apartment in Kelowna

Canada's Haiti airlift expands to include relatives, residents and charter flight

Canada's Haiti airlift expands to include relatives, residents and charter flight
Canada is expanding its evacuation of citizens from Haiti to include relatives and Canadian permanent residents, starting Wednesday if conditions allow. The government has also arranged for a charter flight for Canadians who pay a market rate to fly between the Dominican Republic and Montreal.

Canada's Haiti airlift expands to include relatives, residents and charter flight

Trudeau announces national school food program to feed 400,000 more kids per year

Trudeau announces national school food program to feed 400,000 more kids per year
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will include a national school food program. Trudeau made the announcement in Toronto today with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Families Minister Jenna Sudds as part of the Liberal government's pre-budget tour. 

Trudeau announces national school food program to feed 400,000 more kids per year

2 dead in Kelowna shooting

2 dead in Kelowna shooting
RCMP officers in Kelowna, B.C., are investigating after two bodies were found inside a local business following gunshots and a fire. A statement from the Mounties says they were called to the Adams Road area Wednesday afternoon after receiving a report of gunfire and a subsequent blaze at the building. 

2 dead in Kelowna shooting