Second body found after mudslide last weekend hits B.C. coastline

VANCOUVER — Squamish RCMP say emergency crews have recovered the body of a second person whose home was hit by a mudslide last weekend in British Columbia’s Sea to Sky region.

RCMP say emergency crews recovered the first body last Sunday.

The mudslide near Lions Bay, about 40 kilometres north of Vancouver, came down during a severe windstorm that hit B.C.’s south coast and closed a large section of the Sea to Sky Highway.

Another stretch of intense weather is hitting the B.C. coast again, with wind gusts exceeding 120 km/h already reported across the region Saturday night.

Environment Canada says peak winds at Sartine and Solander islands off northwestern Vancouver Island have reached 132 km/h and 124 km/h, respectively.

The weather agency says a wind warning is in effect for B.C.’s central coast, including Bella Bella and Klemtu. Gusts are forecasted to reach 110 km/h in some areas.

The forecast calls for high winds as a “vigorous frontal system” moves into the region. This system could damage buildings and cause power outages.

A separate wind warning earlier in the day for parts of the Howe Sound area just north of Metro Vancouver has ended.

Weather condition records at Environment Canada show gusts reaching 98 km/h at Bella Bella Airport, 93 km/h at the Pam Rocks station in Howe Sound, and 96 km/h at Sandspit Airport in Haida Gwaii.

The latest bout of stormy weather comes just days after winds approaching 140 km/h were recorded on Vancouver Island.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2024.