Quebec provincial police are searching for two people who went missing after a landslide following torrential rain in Quebec’s Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region on Saturday.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) says several people were attempting to clear storm-related debris from a road in Rivière-Éternité, Que., when the landslide happened at around 1:30 p.m. and flood waters swept them away.
Crews begin repairs to a washed-out section of highway 170 in Rivière-Éternité, Que., Sunday, July 2, 2023. A major landslide caused by heavy rain cut highway 170 between Saguenay, Que., and Saint-Simeon. Two people are missing after they were swept from the road by flood waters.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Authorities say the Éternité River overflowed and then the landslide swept away three people who were outside of their cars clearing the road. Environment Canada reported a rainfall of about 130 millimetres had taken place within two hours.
One of the three, a man in his 40s, was rescued. Officials say he suffered serious injuries and was transported to hospital where he remains in critical condition.
The two others, a man and a woman, are still missing.
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The SQ says search teams have deployed a helicopter and divers to look for them on the ground and in the water.
The Rivière-Éternité municipality has declared a state of emergency and advised its 400 residents to evacuate. A provincial highway running through the town has been closed due to erosion as a result of the storm.
People walk away from a helicopter after they were evacuated from a campground that was isolated after a landslide, in Rivière-Éternité, Que., Sunday, July 2, 2023. A major landslide caused by heavy rain cut highway 170 between Saguenay, Que., and Saint-Simeon. Two people are missing after they were swept from the road by flood waters.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Quebec’s transport ministry said major work is required and the road will remain closed throughout the day and possibly longer.
Climate crisis experts and a recent IPCC report say the harms of the warming planet will become more frequent, including extreme weather and storms, rising waters, flash floods and infrastructure incapable of handling such weather events.
–with files from The Canadian Press
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