Two people missing after landslide in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region
SAGUENAY, Que. – Quebec provincial police are looking for two people who went missing on Saturday after a landslide caused by torrential rain in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region.
Police say several people were trying to clear storm-related debris from a road in Rivière-Éternité, Que., about 170 kilometers northeast of Quebec City, when the landslide occurred around 1:30 p.m.
“A landslide and a flood of the river Éternité swept away the people who were on their way to clear the route of debris. Three people were swept away by the current. A man in his 40s was located and rescued,” said police spokesman Sgt. Hugo Beaulieu.
The man suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital, where his condition remains critical.
The two other persons, a man and a woman, remain missing.
Beaulieu said police deployed a helicopter and divers, as well as search teams on the ground, in an effort to find the missing persons.
Environment Canada said it estimates about 130 millimeters of rain fell in the area in two hours on Saturday.
Rivière-Éternité has declared a state of emergency and recommended that the community’s 400 residents be evacuated.
A provincial road that runs through the city has been closed due to erosion caused by the storm.
Quebec’s transportation department said major work is needed and the road will remain closed all day and possibly longer.
Part of a provincial park near the city has been closed and evacuated due to several washes, the Société des établissements de plein air du Québec, Quebec’s Parks Agancy, said on Sunday.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 2, 2023.
