Authorities search for person missing after B.C. mudslide washed away home

VANCOUVER — A search is ongoing for a person believed to have been caught in a mudslide that hit their home and closed British Columbia’s Sea to Sky Highway over the weekend.

RCMP say emergency crews recovered a body of one of the two residents of the Sea to Sky area home on Sunday, and are actively searching for the second person.

The recovery of the body means at least two people died because of a weekend storm after a woman was killed by a falling tree branch in Surrey.

The mudslide near Lions Bay, about 40 kilometres north of Vancouver, came down during a severe windstorm that hit B.C.’s south coast on Saturday.

Highway 99 reopened Sunday after crews were able to clear the debris from the slide that had cut off the route between Vancouver and Whistler.

Several residents had been evacuated as a precaution because of the slide, but Village of Lions Bay Mayor Ken Berry says in a statement that the a notice for two properties has now been rescinded.

The mayor says the local state of emergency will remain, allowing the village to access additional provincial resources.

He says multiple agencies, including the heavy urban search and rescue, police, fire and Metro Vancouver’s emergency management team are involved in the efforts to find the missing person.

The search comes as more high winds are forecasted to hit B.C.’s coast, this time further north in the Prince Rupert region.

Environment Canada says gusts reaching 100 km/h are expected along the B.C. north coast, which prompted a wind warning.

It says motorists in the region need to be aware of possible hazardous driving conditions on highways, with loose objects, branches as well as winds pushing high-profile vehicles presenting dangers on the road.

The agency says “warning level winds” will ease by Tuesday afternoon, but strong wind will persist in the region until Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2024.

The Canadian Press