Current:Home > My4th victim in Alaska landslide is 11-year-old girl; 2 people still missing, officials say -Edge Finance Strategies
4th victim in Alaska landslide is 11-year-old girl; 2 people still missing, officials say
View
Date:2025-04-25 22:55:29
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! (21139)
Related
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Fantasy football buy low, sell high: 10 trade targets for Week 6
- Kamala Harris Addresses Criticism About Not Having Biological Children
- Billie Eilish tells fans, 'I will always fight for you' at US tour opener
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Madonna Speaks Out About Brother Christopher Ciccone's Death After Years of Feuding
- Billie Eilish tells fans, 'I will always fight for you' at US tour opener
- Matthew Broderick Says He Turned Down SATC Role as the Premature Ejaculator
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Voters in North Carolina and Georgia have bigger problems than politics. Helene changed everything
Ranking
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Week 5 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- Sister Wives’ Kody Brown Says Marriage to Robyn Has Been Hurt More Than Relationships With His Kids
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's crossword puzzle, Cross My Heart (Freestyle)
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Taylor Swift's Net Worth Revealed After Becoming a Billionaire
- 'Different Man' star Adam Pearson once felt 'undesirable.' Now, 'I'm undisputable.'
- Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Claims Ex Kody Hasn't Seen His Grandchildren in More Than 3 Years
Recommendation
'Most Whopper
As Trump returns to Butler, Pa., there’s one name he never mentions | The Excerpt
NFL games today: Start time, TV info for Sunday's Week 5 matchups
Aaron Rodgers injury update: Jets QB suffers low-ankle sprain vs. Vikings
New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
NFL games today: Start time, TV info for Sunday's Week 5 matchups
Dave Hobson, Ohio congressman who backed D-Day museum, has died at 87
Andrew Garfield Reveals Sex Scene With Florence Pugh Went “Further” Than Intended