Current:Home > StocksGirl, 11, confirmed as fourth victim of Alaska landslide, two people still missing-LoTradeCoin
Girl, 11, confirmed as fourth victim of Alaska landslide, two people still missing
View Date:2024-12-24 09:41:57
WRANGELL, Alaska (AP) — Authorities recovered the body of an 11-year-old girl Saturday evening from the debris of a landslide in southeast Alaska that tore down a wooded mountainside days earlier, smashing into homes in a remote fishing village.
The girl, Kara Heller, was the fourth person confirmed killed by last Monday night’s landslide.
The girl’s parents Timothy Heller, 44 and Beth Heller, 36, and her sister Mara Heller, 16, were discovered and confirmed dead in the initial days after the landslide. Search crews are looking for a third child still missing from the Heller family, Derek, 12, and neighbor Otto Florschutz, 65, according to Tim DeSpain, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
Florschutz’s wife survived the disaster.
The landslide came down in the direct path of three homes near Wrangell, a fishing community of about 2,000 residents located on an island about 155 miles (250 kilometers) south of Juneau.
DeSpain said the latest victim was found under debris in the slide area. Authorities used trained dogs and an excavator to find and recover the remains.
Photos showed the aftermath of the slide, which occurred during significant rainfall and heavy winds: a stark dirt path estimated to be 450 feet (135 meters) wide running from the top of a nearby mountain down to the ocean in the middle of lush evergreen trees. The debris field covered the coastal highway before reaching the sea.
Troopers had initially said a large-scale search and rescue mission wasn’t possible because the site was unstable and hazardous. But a geologist from the state transportation department later cleared areas of the debris field for ground searches.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Caitlin Clark shanks tee shot, nearly hits fans at LPGA's The Annika pro-am
- Rep. Ayanna Pressley on student loans, the Supreme Court and Biden's reelection - The Takeout
- In a Bold Move, California’s Governor Issues Ban on Gasoline-Powered Cars as of 2035
- Amazon Prime Day Is Starting Early With This Unreal Deal on the Insignia Fire TV With 5,500+ Rave Reviews
- Black women notch historic Senate wins in an election year defined by potential firsts
- Warming Trends: A Delay in Autumn Leaves, More Bad News for Corals and the Vicious Cycle of War and Eco-Destruction
- Labor Secretary Marty Walsh leaves Biden administration to lead NHL players' union
- Disney World's crowds are thinning. Growing competition — and cost — may be to blame.
- Sofia Richie Reveals 5-Month-Old Daughter Eloise Has a Real Phone
- CNN's Don Lemon apologizes for sexist remarks about Nikki Haley
Ranking
- A pair of Trump officials have defended family separation and ramped-up deportations
- Missing Titanic Submersible: Former Passenger Details What Really Happens During Expedition
- One of the most violent and aggressive Jan. 6 rioters sentenced to more than 7 years
- Search continues for nursing student who vanished after calling 911 to report child on side of Alabama freeway
- Reese Witherspoon's Daughter Ava Phillippe Introduces Adorable New Family Member
- Why Kelly Clarkson Is “Hesitant” to Date After Brandon Blackstock Divorce
- Pharrell Williams succeeds Virgil Abloh as the head of men's designs at Louis Vuitton
- Wisconsin boy killed in sawmill accident will help save his mother's life with organ donation, family says
Recommendation
-
World War II veteran reflects on life as he turns 100
-
Amazon will send workers back to the office under a hybrid work model
-
Upset Ohio town residents seek answers over train derailment
-
Inside Clean Energy: The New Hummer Is Big and Bad and Runs on Electricity
-
Deommodore Lenoir contract details: 49ers ink DB to $92 million extension
-
Trump asks 2 more courts to quash Georgia special grand jury report
-
Billie Eilish Shares How Body-Shaming Comments Have Impacted Her Mental Health
-
Trump asks 2 more courts to quash Georgia special grand jury report