Current:Home > Scams4th victim in Alaska landslide is 11-year-old girl; 2 people still missing, officials say -VisionFunds
4th victim in Alaska landslide is 11-year-old girl; 2 people still missing, officials say
View
Date:2025-04-16 04:55:26
Authorities recovered the body of 11-year-old Kara Heller Saturday night from debris left behind by a massive landslide in southeast Alaska that killed three other people and left two others missing, according to the Associated Press.
Heller is the fourth person confirmed killed by last Monday's landslide. The others were the girl's parents, Timothy Heller, 44, and Beth Heller, 36, and her sister Mara Heller, 16.
Rescue crews found Mara's body in the initial search, and the bodies of Timothy and Beth were found late Tuesday by a drone operator.
Search crews are looking for a third child still missing from the Heller family, Derek, 12, and neighbor Otto Florschutz, 65, the Alaska Department of Public Safety told the Associated Press.
Alaska State Troopers said in a statement last Tuesday that three homes were in the direct path of the disaster around 8:50 p.m. local time Monday near Wrangell, a fishing community with just over 2,000 residents about 155 miles southeast of Juneau.
Alaska landslide:Landslide leaves 3 dead and trail of damage in remote community of Wrangell, Alaska
Alaska landslide: search and rescue efforts
First responders were on the scenes searching for survivors, the troopers said. Authorities urged residents to contact local police if they know someone who is missing.
The landslide cut off access and power to about 75 homes, the state emergency management office said, and boats have been taking residents from the cut-off area to an unaffected part of town.
Photos posted on social media showed barren earth near the top of the mountain all the way down to the Pacific Ocean and remnants of destroyed homes.
Aaron Jacobs, a hydrologist and meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau, told the Associated Press Wrangell received nearly 2 inches of rain from 1 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and wind gusts of up to 60 mph in higher elevations.
The storm was part of a system that moved through southeast Alaska and brought heavy snow to Haines and blizzard-like conditions to Juneau, Jacobs said. Areas farther south had minor flooding.
Landslides were reported near Ketchikan and on Prince of Wales Island. KTUU, a local TV station in Alaska, reported several landslides happening across the state that damaged homes, caused power outages and closed major highways.
Search suspended:5-year-old girl dies, search suspended for man swept out by California wave: Coast Guard
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Kansas police chief suspended in wake of police raid on local newspaper
- A woman who fled the Maui wildfire on foot has died after weeks in a hospital burn unit
- Women’s voices and votes loom large as pope opens Vatican meeting on church’s future
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Armenia grapples with multiple challenges after the fall of Nagorno-Karabakh
- Parenting tip from sons of ex-MLB players: Baseball – and sports – is least important thing
- In New York City, scuba divers’ passion for the sport becomes a mission to collect undersea litter
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Taylor Swift at MetLife Stadium to watch Travis Kelce’s Chiefs take on the Jets
Ranking
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Ed Sheeran says he's breaking free from industry pressures with new album Autumn Variations: I don't care what people think
- Washington officers on trial in deadly arrest of Manny Ellis, a case reminiscent of George Floyd
- Kansas police chief suspended in wake of police raid on local newspaper
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- It's only fitting Ukraine gets something that would have belonged to Russia
- In France, workers build a castle from scratch the 13th century way
- Fire erupts in a police headquarters in Egypt, injuring at least 14 people
Recommendation
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
Brain cells, interrupted: How some genes may cause autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia
The Hollywood writers strike is over, but the actors strike could drag on. Here's why
Stock market today: Asian shares mixed as Japan business confidence rises and US shutdown is averted
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
A fight over precious groundwater in a rural California town is rooted in carrots
How to make a Contact Poster in iOS 17: Enable the new feature with these simple steps.
Rain slows and floodwaters recede, but New Yorkers' anger grows