Except for emergency vehicles, it is not possible to drive on the 170 in Rivière Éternité. The road remains closed on both sides. However, several motorists have chosen to bypass the route via Lac Brébeuf and Périgny streets in the middle of the ZEC.
Even Google Maps recommend this bypass, but it is strongly discouraged for safety reasons.
A detour takes over three hours to get to the other side of the sag via recommended roads 381, 138, and 172. It is advisable to take a ring road. A forest track that is not suitable for all vehicles and even includes a ZEC.
“It’s not safe, really. And it’s still quite a steep hill,” said Annie Gagné, Managing Director of ZEC du Lac-Brébeuf.
If you take the Chemin du Lac-Bréboeuf, you have to drive a little over an hour to get to the point that is causing the problem. This is Chemin Périgny in the Anse-Saint-Jean sector. The road is narrow and the riprap can be dangerous for motorists.
“People venture out but without really knowing where they’re going because after that it’s really forest trails,” said Ms. Gagné.
“If you come with a small car there will be problems as there are rocky slopes and you can’t drive up there. And we will put even more people at risk,” added the mayor of the municipality of Rivière-Éternité, Rémi Gagné.
A citizen of the community who knows this path is walking in the same direction.
“You can’t walk this trail if you don’t know the area because there are several small forks and it’s no better if you get lost to save time and money,” she suggested
Warning signage
The MRC du Fjord has also asked the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to intervene in this sector. Signs have been posted advising not to travel this trail, especially with small vehicles.
“The direction I had was to advise against it, but I can’t stop people from coming over. “We register people in our computer system to ensure security and they have to call us back when they leave,” explained the executive director of the ZEC du Lac-Brébeuf.
bodies found
In addition, on Tuesday evening, around 6.15 p.m., the bodies of the two people who were swept away by the large landslide in Rivière-Éternité last Saturday were found. They are two residents of the regional capital, Pascal Héon, 48 years old, and Pascale Racine, 44 years old. They were found very close to where the tragedy happened, on Rue Notre-Dame.
“The divers doing a final check went to the site of the large landslide. There was a very deep abyss full of branches, trees and stones. They discovered an investigative element. They dug and were able to identify the first victim. A few minutes later, the second victim was found not far from where it happened,” explains Sergeant Hugues Beaulieu, Communications Manager of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
The SQ has not officially confirmed the identity of the victims, it is up to the coroner to formally identify them.