A landslide in southeastern Alaska on Monday killed one girl and left five other people missing. One person was rescued, authorities said Tuesday.
According to Alaska State Troopers, the landslide occurred at about 8:51 p.m. on Monday near the city of Wrangell, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
Death toll rises to 3; 3 still missing
Update 9:44 p.m. EST Nov. 21: Alaska State Troopers said the death toll from Monday’s landslide has risen to three, with three people still unaccounted for, KTUU-TV reported.
According to troopers, the bodies of two adults were found by drone operators in the slide area and recovered, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
Troopers added that two juveniles and an adult remain unaccounted for, the newspaper reported.
Original report: During a news conference on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel said that three adults and two juveniles were still missing, according to the newspaper.
UPDATE: Five people remain missing in the Wrangell landslide and one survivor was rescued, Alaska State Troopers say. https://t.co/nmy4shiA3z
— Anchorage Daily News (@adndotcom) November 21, 2023
The survivor is a woman who was in good condition after receiving medical care.
McDaniel said the body of a female juvenile was found during initial search efforts.
Crews were using a cadaver-sniffing dog and heat-sensing drones in an attempt to find the missing people, The Associated Press reported.
Troopers said that three single-family residences were in the path of the landslide. One deceased person was discovered during that preliminary search, but troopers believe that “multiple” residents are missing.
In a social media post, the City and Borough of Wrangell said that debris was scattered on the Zimovia Highway at milepost 11. The road is approximately 14 miles from Wrangell, a town with a population of 2,000, KTUU-TV reported.
State transportation officials said that the landslide was estimated to be 450 feet wide where it crossed the road, the Daily News reported.
The landslide cut off access and power to approximately 75 homes, according to the newspaper.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration Tuesday morning for Wrangell, according to KTUU. The governor said that he and first lady Rose Dunleavy are “heartbroken” for those affected by the landslide.
Wrangell resident Judy Guggenbickler told the Daily News that she began thinking about a possible landslide after rains pelted the area on Monday.
She called the situation “surreal.”
“It’s a living nightmare,” Guggenbickler told the newspaper.
This morning I verbally issued a disaster declaration for Wrangell after a large landslide took out multiple homes around mile 11 of the Zimovia Highway. Alaska State Troopers and multiple agencies responded to the slide to conduct search and rescue. One fatality has been…
— Governor Mike Dunleavy (@GovDunleavy) November 21, 2023
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