2 missing after Quebec landslide

Two people remain missing after a road collapse Saturday in Rivière-Éternité, a town in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region.

The pair were reportedly clearing the road of debris left by the day’s thunderstorm when a river surge caused a landslide.

Provincial police (SQ) say they were then swept away by the current.

A third person, a man in his 50s, was rescued and taken to the Chicoutimi hospital in critical condition.

The search for the missing man and woman continues Sunday, with a helicopter, divers, ATV drivers and foot patrollers deployed.

Route 170 remains closed Sunday morning.

“Major work is underway to restore safe traffic as quickly as possible,” reads a Tweet from Transport Quebec. 

STATE OF EMERGENCY

The municipality of Rivière-Éternité, home to some 400 residents, declared a state of emergency Saturday evening that is sill ongoing Sunday. 

In an 8 p.m. press release, officials said evacuations had been carried out in the afternoon and that more were expected.

“Torrential rains have caused road closures on rue Principale, rue Sainte-Thérèse, in the Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay, landslides and loss of electricity,” the release reads.

In addition, the area between Saguenay and Tadoussac was under a tornado warning mid-day Saturday as violent thunderstorms hit the region.  

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 2, 2023.