Landslide Leaves 3 Dead, 3 Missing in Alaska

Remote communities tend to be very tight-knit, so when tragedy strikes, it impacts everyone in that community.

That is surely the case in Wrangell, Alaska, where three people are missing and three more found dead after a massive landslide on a mountainside in the area.

The community is about 155 miles south of the state’s capital, Juneau, with roughly 2,000 people living in the area.

Tragedy Strikes

According to reports, the landslide slammed into homes on the mountainside of the remote fishing community.

It took place around 9:00 p.m. local time on Monday night.

The slide was estimated to have been about 450 feet wide, so one can only imagine the devastation this caused in the area.

During the initial search, authorities found the body of a dead girl, the drones spotted two more people who were deceased the following day, but there are still three people missing.

A cadaver-sniffing dog has been brought in as well as heat-seeking drones to search for the two children and one adult that are still missing.

Three homes were struck by the massive slide, with one woman being rescued, and she has been reported in good condition.

Wrangell interim borough manager Mason Villarma stated, “Our community is resilient.

“And it always comes together for tragedies like this. We’re broken, but resilient and determined to find everybody that’s missing.”

Alaska’s governor, Mike Dunleavy, has already issued an emergency declaration for Wrangell to help with recovery.

The pictures of the area were devastating, with a 450-ft wide stretch wiping out the evergreens that were in the area, where you can also see several homes that were just missed by the slide, as this could have been far worse.

Sadly, this may not be the last of the tragedy, as the area was expected to get hit with heavy rains again on Wednesday and Thursday.