Close X
Sunday, January 12, 2025
ADVT 
National

Second mudslide victim's body found as more high winds strike B.C. coast

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Dec, 2024 11:44 AM
  • Second mudslide victim's body found as more high winds strike B.C. coast

High winds are again hitting the coast of British Columbia, as gusts surpassing 100 km/h have been reported at several outlying islands.

The continuing stormy weather comes as police say emergency crews have recovered the body of a second victim killed in a mudslide in the Sea to Sky region during another windstorm last weekend.

Environment Canada says it has issued a wind warning for B.C.'s north and central coast including Haida Gwaii, northern and eastern Vancouver Island as well as parts of the Sunshine Coast, including Powell River.

The agency says winds in some areas may reach 120 km/h, presenting potentially hazardous driving conditions.

In response to the warnings, BC Ferries say a number of sailings in Haida Gwaii and the areas near Campbell River and Hornby Island were cancelled, although most crossings have resumed as conditions improve.

A weather advisory for Greater Victoria and the Southern Gulf Islands also warned of gusty winds in the area that may lead to power outages and disrupt travel plans.

Environment Canada data shows gusts reaching 140 km/h and beyond at Sartine and Solander islands off the northern coast of Vancouver Island today, while locations such as Sandspit and Masset in Haida Gwaii are reporting gusts of 90 km/h or above.

The frontal system that brought high winds to coastal B.C. this weekend also caused temperatures to spike in a number of communities, with Bella Bella, Prince Rupert, Qualicum Beach and West Vancouver all breaking decades-old high-temperature records on Saturday.

In response, Avalanche Canada has elevated the risk level to "considerable" for a number of alpine areas along B.C.'s coast, including most of Vancouver Island, much of the mountainous regions north of Metro Vancouver, as well as the area north of Kitimat to the provincial border with the Alaskan Panhandle.

The latest weather warnings come a day after winds exceeding 120 km/h pummeled B.C.'s central coast Saturday, while places such as Bella Bella and the Howe Sound north of Metro Vancouver reported gusts exceeding 90 km/h.

Earlier in the week, winds approaching 140 km/h were reported on Vancouver Island, while last weekend's severe windstorm led to the mudslide that closed a large section of the Sea to Sky Highway linking Vancouver and Whistler.

A home in the area was also struck by the mudslide, and police recovered the body of one of two occupants on Dec. 15 -- the day after the mudslide.

On Saturday night, Squamish RCMP confirmed that crews recovered the second occupant's body, but did not release the names of the victims.

MORE National ARTICLES

Coroner says there's been a sharp spike in females dying from illicit drugs in B.C.

Coroner says there's been a sharp spike in females dying from illicit drugs in B.C.
Illicit drug deaths are down slightly in British Columbia from the same period last year, but the coroners service says females are dying at a much higher rate.  The service says in a statement that 26 per cent of the 1,749 toxicity deaths so far this year were women or girls, and the rate of death among females is up 60 per cent from four years ago.

Coroner says there's been a sharp spike in females dying from illicit drugs in B.C.

Trudeau says he will remain prime minister despite caucus revolt

Trudeau says he will remain prime minister despite caucus revolt
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has no intention of stepping down as the leader of the Liberal party by next week. A letter signed by two dozen Liberal MPs asking Trudeau to step down was presented to the prime minister Wednesday at a tense caucus meeting in Ottawa.

Trudeau says he will remain prime minister despite caucus revolt

NDP plan motion to push back against anti-abortion 'creep' from Conservatives

NDP plan motion to push back against anti-abortion 'creep' from Conservatives
Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will use its next opposition day to force the House of Commons to debate and vote on a motion that calls for urgent action to improve abortion access. Speaking in Montreal, Singh also called out the governing Liberals, saying they haven't done enough to improve abortion access in Canada. 

NDP plan motion to push back against anti-abortion 'creep' from Conservatives

5 million adults without primary care, surgeries returning to normal: CIHI report

5 million adults without primary care, surgeries returning to normal: CIHI report
Seniors 65 years and older are more likely to have access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner than younger adults between 18 and 34, and access to primary care is highest in Ontario and lowest in Nunavut, the CIHI report released Thursday says.  

5 million adults without primary care, surgeries returning to normal: CIHI report

Man pleads guilty to multiple robberies

Man pleads guilty to multiple robberies
A man has been sentenced to more than two years in prison as well as receiving a lifetime firearms ban after pleading guilty to multiple robberies in the Lower Mainland. Surrey Mounties say Jaden Kahnapace pleaded guilty earlier this year to three robberies in 2021 that all happened within the span of two weeks.

Man pleads guilty to multiple robberies

Seizure of guns & illicit drugs in Penticton

Seizure of guns & illicit drugs in Penticton
Mounties in Penticton say a search warrant has led to the seizure of several guns as well as cash and suspected illicit drugs. R-C-M-P say it also resulted in the arrests of four people linked to the home in the one-thousand-block of Government Street.

Seizure of guns & illicit drugs in Penticton