On Monday night, a major landslide covered a highway near a remote community in southeast Alaska, leading to three deaths and several missing persons. The Alaska Department of Transportation reported that the landslide was roughly 450 feet wide with a substantial debris field. The Zimovia Highway near Wrangell suffered the impact of the landslide, damaging three homes and leading to multiple displaced residents.
Initial search and rescue efforts conducted on Monday night resulted in the discovery of a girl’s body. Furthermore, the remains of two adults were located and recovered with the help of a drone operator on Tuesday. Although a woman was rescued from the slide area on Tuesday morning, officials believe that two juveniles and an adult are still unaccounted for. As a result, state troopers have been leading ongoing search and rescue efforts, while a geologist cleared some ground portions to resume search efforts. Nevertheless, more geologists are expected to travel to Wrangell for further testing.
A disaster declaration has been issued in Wrangell by Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy due to the impacts of the landslide. However, the Department of Public Safety has urged people not to enter the slide area, as it has been active throughout Tuesday night and additional landslides are possible. The region of southeast Alaska is already at risk for debris flows, and officials have highlighted that heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt, and saturated soil only increase that risk.
