Police confirm person missing after B.C. landslide

Volunteers with Central Okanagan Search and Rescue comb the area of the slide near West Kelowna, B.C. (Handout)

Mounties have confirmed that one person is missing after a massive landslide last week near West Kelowna, B.C.

The slide occurred on April 1, burying a stretch of Westside Road next to Okanagan Lake under debris for several days.

The road reopened to single-lane alternating traffic on Sunday, though B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation urged drivers to exercise caution and expect delays through the area as repairs got underway.

In a statement Monday, the West Kelowna RCMP confirmed it had opened a missing person investigation for someone who was last seen in the area of the slide, south of Denison Road, on the day it occurred.

The statement said police had located “unique items associated to the missing person,” and said volunteers with Central Okanagan Search and Rescue would continue their search of the area in the days to come.

In a social media post on the day after the slide, the search-and-rescue team said it was combing through the site of a former homeless encampment, looking for potential survivors.

“After spending six hours in the muck, the area was cleared and teams returned home,” the volunteer group said.

In an update Monday, the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre said heavy rainfall had again closed Westside Road to traffic.

The agency says the slide area was significantly damaged by the McDougall Creek wildfire in 2023.

“Properties located in the post-wildfire areas are subject to a higher risk of potential debris flow runout and upstream diversion,” the centre said.

“The probability of slope instability increases in wildfire-affected areas, and it is important for residents living on or adjacent to wildfire-affected properties and waterways to monitor for irregularities, particularly during a rainfall event.”

The local RCMP detachment says it will not release the name of the missing person at this time out of respect for their family’s privacy and because the search is ongoing.