Close X
Friday, November 1, 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

Drowning victim's body found on Island

Drowning victim's body found on Island
Mounties on Vancouver Island say they have recovered the body of a drowning victim in Sproat Lake – 13 kilometres northwest of Port Alberni. The update comes two days after R-C-M-P were called to the lake for reports of a missing 17-year-old after a canoe he and two others were on capsized and sank.  

Drowning victim's body found on Island

PM Justin Trudeau visits Maple Ridge

PM Justin Trudeau visits Maple Ridge
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is visiting Maple Ridge this afternoon. The prime minister and B-C Premier David Eby are scheduled to make an announcement at a clean-energy plant.

PM Justin Trudeau visits Maple Ridge

Food insecurity worsened last year, more pronounced in racialized families: StatCan

Food insecurity worsened last year, more pronounced in racialized families: StatCan
A Statistics Canada study says nearly seven million Canadians struggled with hunger last year. The study says that in 2022, 18 per cent of families reported experiencing food insecurity within the previous 12 months, up from 16 per cent in 2021.  

Food insecurity worsened last year, more pronounced in racialized families: StatCan

Canada's Joly criticizes lack of fuel in Gaza, warns that UN may have to pause aid

Canada's Joly criticizes lack of fuel in Gaza, warns that UN may have to pause aid
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says it is not acceptable that United Nations work to support Palestinian civilians will end before Wednesday night due to a lack of fuel. She says civilians must be protected and enough food, fuel and water must get into Gaza so that the UN's life-saving work can continue.

Canada's Joly criticizes lack of fuel in Gaza, warns that UN may have to pause aid

Wanted sex offender Randall Hopley arrested in Vancouver, police say

Wanted sex offender Randall Hopley arrested in Vancouver, police say
Police say high-risk sex offender Randall Hopley has been arrested in Vancouver. A statement from police says Hopley was picked up at about 6 a.m. on the city's Downtown Eastside and he is in custody.

Wanted sex offender Randall Hopley arrested in Vancouver, police say

B.C. poultry staff told to vaccinate against flu as avian strains spread among birds

B.C. poultry staff told to vaccinate against flu as avian strains spread among birds
British Columbia's provincial health officer says people living or working on poultry farms should "prioritize" getting influenza vaccinations as avian flu spreads among flocks this fall. Dr. Bonnie Henry says while avian flu does not transmit easily from birds to humans, infections "can happen and are very concerning" because of the potential for the virus to mix with human influenza and mutate into something much more contagious.  

B.C. poultry staff told to vaccinate against flu as avian strains spread among birds