The bodies of the two men in their mid-forties who had been missing since last Saturday were found in Rivière-Éternité in Saguenay on Tuesday evening.
The two people were found by divers from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) around 6:15 p.m. near the site of a July 1 landslide that carried three people down the current.
SQ Sergeant Hugues Beaulieu indicated that the bodies of the two missing persons are likely to be found, but that the formal identification of the victims to the coroner’s satisfaction will have to be awaited.
“They were under rubble,” he said. We have to wait for the ID to reveal the identity.”
According to the investigation, there would be no further victims, so the discovery of the two bodies meant an end to the search.
For its part, the Department of Transportation is trying to build a bypass on Route 170, which collapsed near the village.
The “phenomenal amount” of rain that fell in two hours on “very steep terrain” in the Parc du Fjord-du-Saguenay sector on Saturday caused a “series of riots”, including “seven or eight landslides” on Rue Notre -Lady. Lady leading to Société des Establishments de Plein Air du Québec (SEPAQ) campsite, explained Geotechnical Engineer at the Department of Transportation Denis Demers.
During a press conference Tuesday morning, the engineer presented an aerial photo where we can see the vehicle that contained people who disappeared on Saturday.
“The incident tells us that there would have been an initial small landslide, with people getting out of the vehicle to clear the debris on the road when most of the landslide had formed and people in drifted towards the Eternity River.” That was a real current. »
He added that “one of the two people managed to hold on to a tree” – that man was rescued and taken to hospital – but the other, a woman, was pushed towards the river.
A third person, a man, also disappeared into the river.
Research was slowed down by debris
Helicopters, sea teams, several hikers, and members of the Quebec Association of Search and Rescue Volunteers have been involved in the search from the start.
Searches Tuesday focused on the bed and banks of the small, very tortuous river for about 1.1 miles (1.8 kilometers) before it joins the Saguenay River.
The SQ said excavation was slowed by the abundance of debris left on the banks by the landslide. The heat in the region also made it difficult for the search parties, who had to be supplied by helicopters.
Divers from the Sûreté du Québec had to survey the seabed again on Tuesday when the river was much higher than usual.
Road 170 repairs
Landslides buried the road in several places, sudden erosion turned ditches into torrents, large stretches of road were swept away, and soil on private property was transported.
“We had 130 millimeters of rain and maybe even more” and since “this rain fell very quickly, in two hours, very little water got in and it practically trickled on the surface,” explained Geotechnical Engineer at the Ministry of Transport Denis Demers, He added adding that “the steep terrain caused the water to run off in the streams, which flooded their beds very quickly.”
The Department of Transportation was busy Tuesday restoring Highway 170, which was damaged in four places. The work could take several days.
Meanwhile, ministry officials are trying to build a bypass for emergency vehicles near Rivière-Éternité.
“No Threat” for houses
The results of geothermal surveys show that the 33 surveyed sites near private homes have “no landslide hazards,” according to the Department of Transportation.
The damage to the homes still needs to be assessed.
“People need to see the state of their land, see the state of the sand, see if there is mud in the basement, see if it is healthy, if the artesian wells are still operational,” explained Denis Demers, specifying: “If so , there is one.” No damage on their land, they can return quickly.”
On Sunday, the SQ had to evacuate 94 people by helicopter who were staying at the Society of Outdoor Establishments of Quebec (SEPAQ) campsite in Parc du Fjord-du-Saguenay after being isolated by the Rue Notre Dame collapse. In addition, 133 other holidaymakers were evacuated by shuttle to the La Baie district of Saguenay.
In the commune of Rivière-Éternité, 48 adults and six children living in 34 dormitories had to be evacuated and transferred to a hotel or to relatives.