Current:Home > Markets4th victim in Alaska landslide is 11-year-old girl; 2 people still missing, officials say -Trailblazer Capital Learning
4th victim in Alaska landslide is 11-year-old girl; 2 people still missing, officials say
View
Date:2025-04-15 02:23:38
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! (5581)
Related
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Kate Middleton's Younger Brother James Middleton Gives Insight on Her Cancer Journey
- Jews and Catholics warn against Trump’s latest loyalty test for religious voters
- Takeaways on AP’s story about challenges to forest recovery and replanting after wildfires
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- AP Week in Pictures: Global
- Kate Middleton's Younger Brother James Middleton Gives Insight on Her Cancer Journey
- Mark Zuckerberg faces deposition in AI copyright lawsuit from Sarah Silverman and other authors
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Today Show’s Dylan Dreyer Shares Who Could Replace Hoda Kotb
Ranking
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- How a Children’s Playground Is Helping With Flood Mitigation in a Small, Historic New Jersey City
- How the new 2025 GMC Yukon offers off-road luxury
- NASCAR Cup Series playoffs enter Round of 12: Where drivers stand before Kansas race
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- The Best New Beauty Products September 2024: Game-Changing Hair Identifier Spray & $3 Items You Need Now
- Led by Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, New York Yankees clinch AL East
- Lawyers in NCAA athlete-compensation antitrust cases adjust settlement proposal with judge
Recommendation
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
Meeting Messi is dream come true for 23 Make-A-Wish families
Missy Mazzoli’s ‘The Listeners’ portraying life in a cult gets U.S. premiere at Opera Philadelphia
University of Wisconsin fires former porn-making chancellor who wanted stay on as a professor
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
Lana Del Rey Marries Alligator Guide Jeremy Dufrene in Louisiana Swamp Wedding Ceremony
Pregnant Mormon Wives' Star Whitney Leavitt Reveals Name of Baby No. 3 With Husband Connor Leavitt
Foo Fighters scrap Soundside Music Festival performance after Dave Grohl controversy