The first stage of recovery operations at the site of the Johnsons Landing slide has now concluded with the recovery of two victims.
The BC Coroners Service, in conjunction with its partners in the operation, will now re-assess the reasonable likelihood of finding more victims along with the potential risks to searchers before deciding if, and how, to proceed further, said Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe.
Two persons are believed to still be deceased somewhere in the huge slide.
“Until you actually see it, it’s impossible to imagine the immensity of the slide area,” said Lapointe, who has been at the site since July 15, the day the rescue operation became a recover operation, and three days after the slide hit.
She noted that recovery efforts were concentrated in the area where it was believed the victims were most likely to be found. Despite extensive work with earth-moving equipment, the other two victims have not been located. The slide covers an 83-hectare area, with a perimeter of 6.8 kilometres.
Lapointe expressed thanks to the many partners who have joined in the recovery efforts (22 different agencies): Kaslo Search and Rescue, Canada Task Force One (the urban heavy search and rescue team), the wildfire management branch, Emergency Management BC, RCMP officers from Nelson and Kaslo, and all of those staffing the Command Centre at Kaslo.
“Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family and friends of the deceased as well as to the entire community that has suffered such devastation,” she said.
She stressed that the slide area remains unstable and dangerous. The ongoing risk to searchers is one aspect that will have to be considered in depth before deciding whether to continue with efforts to find the two remaining victims.
A decision on next steps will be taken within the next few days.
