A landslide on Monday night in Alaska has left three dead and at least another three people missing. That day, weather conditions caused a large amount of mud to collapse and spread about 450 feet wide across the road. The landslide, in turn, washed away the Zimovia Highway, near Wrangell, and destroyed three houses in its path, according to the state Department of Public Safety:
During a first search, authorities found the body of a little girl, whose age is unknown. A day later and thanks to the work of drones, the remains of two adults were recovered. In addition, CNN reports, a woman was also rescued on Tuesday morning although two minors and an adult who are still missing have not been located.
While the search continues, the state Department of Public Safety asked visitors to stay away from the area where the slide occurred, as it remains unstable and more collapses could occur. In fact, as a precautionary measure, Wrangell County Administrator Mason Villarma ordered the evacuation of between 20 and 30 people from the site.
For his part, the governor of Alaska, Mike Dunleavy, issued a statement on his social networks ensuring that both he and his wife regretted deeply what happened and continued to monitor the situation in the county:
This morning I verbally issued a disaster declaration for Wrangell after a large landslide took out multiple homes around mile 11 of the Zimovia Highway. Alaska State Troopers and multiple agencies responded to the slide to conduct search and rescue. One fatality has been…
— Governor Mike Dunleavy (@GovDunleavy) November 21, 2023
