Fifth person found dead after Alaska landslide; search for 12-year-old boy called off, authorities say
By Taylor Romine, Susannah Cullinane, Alberto Moya and Andy Rose, CNN
(CNN) — Search crews in southern Alaska located the remains of another person who went missing in a November landslide, the state’s Department of Public Safety said in a news release Friday, leaving a 12-year-old as the last person still unaccounted for after the disaster.
Otto Florschutz, 65, was “located and recovered from the landslide debris” by search and rescue teams on Wednesday, the release says.
The 11-mile landslide hit the Zimovia Highway in Wrangell on November 20, killing five people and destroying three homes.
On Wednesday, officials called off the search for 12-year-old Derek Heller.
“After careful consideration and evaluation of all available information, it has been determined that all accessible search areas have been thoroughly examined,” the City of Wrangell said in a statement on Wednesday, 15 days after the avalanche.
The city fire department searched alongside the Alaska State Troopers, US Coast Guard, US Forest Service and multiple other agencies, as well as with the help of volunteers and K9 scent dogs to comb through the debris, but Derek could not be located.
Four of Derek’s family members – 11-year-old Kara Heller, 16-year-old Mara Heller, 44-year-old Timothy Heller and 36-year-old Beth Heller – also died in the landslide.
Search teams located Kara’s remains on November 25, while Mara’s body was discovered during initial search and rescue efforts on November 20.
The bodies of Timothy Heller and Beth Heller were discovered the next day, according to Alaska’s Department of Public Safety.
Alaska’s Department of Transportation said the landslide’s path grew to an estimated 450 feet wide and had a significant debris field.
The area where the landslide struck had been particularly wet the day before and the day of the natural disaster, with more than 3 inches of rain falling around Wrangell in the prior 24 hours, Andy Park, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Juneau, told CNN.
Park said winds of 61 to 87 mph the evening of November 20 may have been a factor in the landslides as well.
The region of southeast Alaska is already at risk for debris flows, according to Barrett Salisbury, a geologist with the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. Heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt or saturated soil only increase the risk, he said during a news conference.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration in Wrangell on November 21 due to the landslide’s effects, his office posted on social media.
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