Lions Bay in mourning after fatal landslide, mayor says

The search for a missing person continues in Lions Bay following a mudslide on Saturday that killed one person.

Heavy machinery is now being used to help with recovery efforts as authorities continue to work to find the second person.

“We had to have geotechnical and structural engineers check the site, so they were going over the bridge that provides access to the roadway up to where the debris flow is, and that had to be confirmed that it was safe, and the first responders could go back in and conduct their operations,” Mayor Ken Berry shared.

Berry says the community is mourning the loss of their neighbours.

“Residents are used to adversity, but this is really struck hard. The community is mourning and it’s very unsettling, but look [we’re] a strong community and the residents are sticking close together,” Berry added.

The state of local emergency declared Sunday is still in effect to ensure access to needed resources. Evacuations are in place for two homes on Goldenrod Drive and two on Crystal Falls Road, while six homes on Lower Brunswick are on evacuation alert.

“Robinson recommended that we declare a state of local emergency, and that’s what we did, and what that does is it effectively opens up resources and manpower and also funding. As we did that, they set up an immediate emergency operation center,” Berry explained.

Late on Sunday night, police confirmed one body had been recovered from the area.

“Sadly, on December 15, emergency crews located the body of one of the residents directly involved, who had succumbed to their injuries,” stated Corp. James Grandy, BC RCMP spokesperson.

“Emergency crews are continuing their search this evening for a second person associated with the home who remains unaccounted for,” he continued.

According to neighbours, the home by Brunswick Beach was wiped out when the slide hit around 10 a.m. Saturday, bringing trees and debris down across Highway 99.