A search is ongoing for a person believed to have been caught in a mudslide that hit their home and closed British Columbia’s Sea to Sky Highway over the weekend.
RCMP say emergency crews recovered a body of one of the two residents of the Sea to Sky-area home on Sunday, and are actively searching for the second person.
The recovery of the body means at least two people died because of a severe windstorm that hit B.C.’s South Coast on Saturday. In Surrey, a woman was killed by a falling tree branch.
The mudslide hit near Lions Bay, about 40 kilometres north of Vancouver, cutting off Highway 99, which connects Vancouver and Whistler.
The highway reopened Sunday after crews were able to clear the debris from the slide.
Several residents had been evacuated as a precaution because of the slide, but Village of Lions Bay Mayor Ken Berry said in a statement that a notice for two properties has now been rescinded.
The mayor says a local state of emergency will remain in place, allowing the village to access additional provincial resources.
He says multiple agencies, including the heavy urban search and rescue, police, fire and Metro Vancouver’s emergency management team are involved in the efforts to find the missing person.
The search comes as more high winds are forecast to hit B.C.’s coast, this time further north in the Prince Rupert region.
Environment Canada says gusts reaching 100 km/h are expected along the North Coast, prompting a wind warning.
It says motorists in the region need to be aware of possible hazardous driving conditions on highways, with loose objects, branches and winds pushing high-profile vehicles presenting dangers on the road.
The agency says “warning level winds” will ease by Tuesday afternoon, but high winds will persist in the region until Wednesday.