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Second body found after mudslide as high winds batter strikenB.C. coast

VANCOUVER — Squamish RCMP say emergency crews have recovered the body of the second resident whose home was hit by the same mudslide that hit their home and closed British Columbia's Sea to Sky Highway last weekend.
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A man tries to hold his umbrella along Dallas Rd. during the first major storm of the year in Victoria, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

VANCOUVER — Squamish RCMP say emergency crews have recovered the body of the second resident whose home was hit by the same mudslide that hit their home and closed British Columbia's Sea to Sky Highway last weekend.

RCMP say emergency crews recovered a body of one of the two residents of the Sea to Sky area home on 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 on Saturday.

Part of the British Columbia coastline is reporting gusts exceeding 120 km/h as high winds batter the region.

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, with gusts forecasted to reach 110 km/h in some areas.

The forecast calls for high winds as a "vigorous frontal system" moves into the region, possibly damaging buildings and causing 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, while a severe windstorm last weekend led to a mudslide that killed at least one person in the Sea to Sky area.

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

The Canadian Press