Death toll from B.C. atmospheric river climbs as driver found dead, another presumed drowned

Mounties on Vancouver Island say one person is dead and another is presumed to have drowned after two vehicles were found submerged in a river following heavy rains that washed out roadways across British Columbia.

The deaths would mark the second and third confirmed fatalities from the atmospheric river that drenched the province and caused localized flooding over the weekend.

The Port Alberni RCMP say they received a missing person report around 5:45 p.m. Saturday after a driver travelling from Bamfield to Victoria failed to arrive amid the rainstorm.

One hour later, the police received a separate complaint that a traveller heading from Port Alberni to Bamfield was also overdue. The driver's dog had been found near the Sarita River around 1 p.m. by passersby who contacted the family, according to police.

Investigators pinged the cellphones of the missing drivers and determined that one of them had connected with a cell tower near the 58-kilometre mark on Bamfield Road, the local RCMP said in a statement Monday.

A helicopter was dispatched to search the area while personnel with the Alberni Valley Rescue Squad were called to assist in the search effort.

Family of one of the missing drivers contacted police just before 9 p.m. and said they had found their family member's truck fully submerged in the river, police said.

"Due to the fast-flowing water and darkness, emergency services were unable to confirm if the vehicle was occupied," the statement said. "The missing driver was later located deceased a short distance away."

John Jack, chief councillor of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations in Bamfield, identified the deceased as Ken Duncan, a property manager for the Huu-ay-aht First Nations Group of Businesses. 

Search and rescue personnel assisting in the recovery efforts after two vehicles entered the Sarita River near Bamfield, B.C., with one driver found dead and the other still missing. (Alberni Valley Rescue Squad)

The second missing vehicle, which police said "is believed to contain the second missing person," was later found in the same river.

Search and rescue personnel will monitor the water conditions Monday for an opportunity to reach the vehicle, police said.

Mounties are urging people to stay away from the Sarita River following the record-setting rainfall over the weekend, saying the portion of Bamfield Road where the vehicles entered the water is especially susceptible to flooding around high tides.

"Also, police want to remind everyone that attempting to cross flooded roadways can be extremely dangerous," the statement said.

In an update on the recovery effort Monday, the Alberni Valley Rescue Squad said the ground and river conditions still posed a risk to responders in the region.

Coroner probing weather deaths

B.C.'s River Forecast Centre issued flood warnings Saturday for waterways on the province's south coast, including the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Environment Canada says the Kennedy Lake area, approximately 35 kilometres northwest of Bamfield, saw 318 millimetres of rain over the weekend.

The B.C. Coroners Service confirmed to CTV News it is investigating two deaths connected to weekend weather in the province.

The body of a 57-year-old Coquitlam woman was found Sunday evening after her home was swept away by a mudslide amid the torrential weekend rains on B.C.'s south coast, authorities have confirmed. 

The victim has been identified as Sonya McIntyre, a teacher at Aspenwood Elementary School in Port Moody. 

At least four deaths were attributed to an atmospheric river that struck B.C. in November 2021, causing widespread flooding, highway washouts and landslides. 

'Unmitigated grief'

The Vancouver Island road where the deadly washout occurred has undergone tens of millions of dollars in upgrades after two 18-year-old University of Victoria students were killed there in a school bus crash in 2019.

"My reaction to what's happened over this weekend is one of just unmitigated grief and sadness and quite a bit of anger," the Huu-ay-aht First Nations chief councillor said in an interview Monday.

"I think it is something that we thought we had left behind for the Bamfield Road, and now that we see that the road is still claiming lives, it's bit of a gut punch," Jack said, adding the nation is planning to hold consultations with the federal and provincial governments about climate mitigation and ongoing safety concerns.

"It feels like we're dealing with climate change considerations all throughout the year now," he added.

"When it's not forest fires or smoke from forest fires, now we're dealing with floods and inundations of rain that have impacts on people's lives; not just in infrastructure costs, not just in the costs of repairing things, people's lives, and that's where the anger comes from."

The Huu-ay-aht chief said the second washout victim, who has yet to be located, is similarly well-known in the Bamfield community and beyond.