The body of a man who has been missing since Saturday after heavy rains was found in Nova Scotia on Monday. RCMP also says “human remains” have been found in the area and authorities are trying to identify them.
Authorities discovered the body of the 52-year-old Windsor man around 9am Monday morning.
Around 11:30 a.m. human remains were found by a citizen in the Kings County area, in the same large region of the province.
We are trying to identify this person. “We have reason to believe it’s probably one of the missing persons, but I can’t give you confirmation,” said Sgt. Rob Frizzell of the West Hants’ RCMP branch during a news conference Monday afternoon.
Open in full screen mode
Sergeant Rob Frizzell of the West Hants RCMP Detachment in Nova Scotia at a news conference on the disappearance of four people after a heavy rainstorm on Saturday.
Photo: Radio Canada
These human remains were located near a body of water where there are tides, so we have reason to believe they were moved, he adds.
“We are working with the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner’s Office to positively identify her,” adds Nova Scotia RCMP Criminal Investigator Sue Black.
It’s a heartbreaking day for everyone. It is difficult to grasp the magnitude of the tragedy. We can rebuild roads and bridges, but we cannot bring people back.
Open in full screen mode
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston offered his condolences to the affected families during a news conference Monday afternoon.
Photo: Radio Canada
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said the weather events that have pounded the province in recent weeks, such as historic downpours and wildfires, show how fragile things are.
The research has been running since Saturday
A search has been going on in West Hants, about sixty kilometers north of Halifax, since Saturday to find the missing persons.
RCMP located the vehicle the two missing children were in, but they were not in it. According to the police, the recovered vehicle was under two meters of water at the time of discovery.
On Saturday, these two children were traveling in a van with three other people when the vehicle got stuck under water. The other three occupants managed to escape, but the two children were not so lucky.
Open in full screen mode
A motorist surveys damage to a roadway washed away by rainwater near the McKay Section in West Hants, Nova Scotia. July 23, 2023. A prolonged series of violent thunderstorms brought record-breaking rainfall across much of the province, causing flash flooding, road flooding and power outages.
Photo: The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese
A second incident, also in West Hants, leaves two other people missing, an adult and a person under the age of 18. Your vehicle was submerged. Two passengers were rescued in this second vehicle. This vehicle was also located by the authorities.
The RCMP was unable to determine Monday afternoon whether the person(s) found were in the same vehicle.
Difficult research
At least 60 people, including members of the RCMP and the Department of Natural Resources, are taking part in the operations with the support of a helicopter.
Research is very difficult. There is no visibility in the water. There is a lot of debris, explains Corporal Guillaume Tremblay.
However, the police are asking the public not to take part in the search. If you left tracks in the mud, investigators would have to go after them, he explained.
With the help of civilian companies, industrial pumping systems would be used to lower the water level in the search area, the police officer said.