At least 2 dead in B.C. after mudslides, washouts: RCMP - Action News
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British Columbia

At least 2 dead in B.C. after mudslides, washouts: RCMP

A woman who was missing after herhome was washed away in a mudslide in Coquitlam, B.C., on Saturday has been found dead, police say.

Police say woman's home was washed away Saturday in a mudslide triggered by torrential rain

Two confirmed dead in B.C. after rain brings flooding, landslides

15 hours ago
Duration 2:01
Deadly weekend storms in B.C. have resulted in at least two deaths, including a 57-year-old teacher. Recovery efforts are ongoing, with many homes still cut off and search conditions proving extremely challenging.

Two people are dead, and onemore is presumed deadafter an atmospheric river brought heavy rainfall, flooding and mudslides to B.C. over the weekend.

On Monday, police said awoman who was missing after herhome was washed away in a mudslide in Coquitlam, B.C., on Saturday has been found dead.

Coquitlam RCMP said a search and rescue crewfound the body of the 57-year-old woman on Sunday evening.

She has been identified as Coquitlamelementary school teacherSonya McIntyre.

"This is a deeply tragic outcome and our thoughts are with the victim's family and friends,"Cpl. Alexa Hodgins said in a statement Monday.

Police said they were called to a slide along Quarry Road, on the southern edge of Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, at about 12:30 p.m. PT Saturday.Officers saidthey found theslide had rendered the road impassable and cut off several residents.

Emergency vehicles and tape are pictured on a cloudy day.
Emergency tape at the Quarry Road area of Coquitlam, B.C., on Sunday, as rescuers worked to find a homeowner whose house was washed away in a mudslide on Saturday. (Martin Diotte/CBC)

Coquitlam Fire Chief Scott Young told CBC News on Saturday that the slideknocked one home completely off its foundation.

Canada Task Force 1a national Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Teamjoined Coquitlam Fire and Rescue in the searchfor the resident.

As of about 11 a.m. PT Monday, police saidQuarry Road remains closed between Calgary Drive and MacIntyre Road. First responders are in contact with the residents cut off by the slide, police say.

RCMP say they have notified the family of the victim, but would not provide more details about the slide and its "deeply tragic" outcome.

Shewas later identified as local elementary school teacherSonya McIntyre.

The slide was triggered by torrential rainfall that swept across the Lower Mainland this weekend.

WATCH | Vancouver-area flooding causes outages, mudslides:

Power expected back 'fairly soon' after Vancouver-area flooding, official says

24 hours ago
Duration 3:25
Gord Howard, director of the North Shore Emergency Operations Centre in B.C., says the rain that fell on Vancouver and area came in such a short period of time it 'overwhelmed' a lot of systems designed to clear water over a longer period of time.

1 dead, 1 missing on Vancouver Island

Heavy rain has also had a tragic impact on Vancouver Island.

On Monday, RCMP in Port Alberni said one person is dead and the second presumed dead following weekend flooding near Bamfield, about 200 kilometres by road northwest of Victoria.

They say the vehicle of one of the missing was found "fully submerged" in the Sarita River on Saturday, with the driver found dead nearby.

The second vehicle was also found in the river and the driver is presumed dead inside.

Huu-ay-ahtFirst Nation Chief Councillor and Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District chairJohn Jack told CBC News it is believed both drivers were residents of Bamfield, a community of about 200 people that is in the midst of Huu-ay-aht Nations land and Pacific Rim National Park. He said both were well-known in the community.

RCMP say they are waiting for an opportunity to recover the vehicle, but that workhas been delayed due to ongoing flood risks.

Officials are warning people to stay away from the Sarita River due to fast-flowing water and the risk of floods, and reminding drivers not to attempt to cross flooded roadways.

Warnings still in place

Environment Canada figures show Coquitlam was among the hardest hit by the rain, receiving 256 millimetres between Friday and Sunday night.

The agencysaid daily rainfall records were set across the Lower Mainland, including in West Vancouver, which received about 190 millimetres of rain.

On Vancouver Island, Environment Canada said the Kennedy Lake area north of Ucluelet hashad nearly 320 millimetres of rain since Friday, while Tofino saw 218 millimetres.

A woman walks a very wet dog on a sidewalk during heavy rain.
A woman walks a dog as heavy rain falls in downtown Vancouver on Saturday. An atmospheric river system brought torrential downpours to B.C.'s South Coast over the weekend. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

The rainfall warnings and flood advisories that had spanned the South Coast over the weekend have been lifted, but communities are still mopping up.

In the District of North Vancouver, a state of local emergency remains in effect, and six homes are on evacuation order in the Deep Cove neighbourhood.

District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services Chief Mike Danks told CBC News the homes were initiallyevacuated because firefighters were concerned a nearby retaining wall mightfail under flooding.

He said crews remained on scene on Monday, monitoring the wall.

With files from The Canadian Press and Georgie Smyth