Two bodies were found by┬аS├╗ret├й du Qu├йbec (SQ) divers at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Rivi├иre-├Йternit├й, Que., near the landslide that hit Saturday.
“Everything leads us to believe that they are the man and woman who were still missing,” said SQ spokesman Hugues Beaulieu.
The coroner will identify the bodies, which were found on the banks of┬аRivi├иre-├Йternit├й. The river swelled to four times its size due to torrential rains last weekend.
A search had been underway for several days for two people who were swept away in a landslide on Notre-Dame Street, which leads to the Fjord-Saguenay National Park. They were clearing the┬аroad, which┬аwas suddenly damaged by the storm.┬а
Major search efforts
Helicopters, a nautical team, divers, all-terrain vehicles and personnel specialized in ground operations, as well as a dozen volunteers from the Association qu├йb├йcoise des b├йn├йvoles en recherche et sauvetage (AQBRS) were deployed on site.
One of the missing people is Pascale Racine, a 44-year-old woman from Quebec City. Her husband, who was with her during the torrential rains, was hospitalized with serious injuries. Relatives confirmed the news to Radio-Canada Tuesday.
However, the identity of the second person sought by the authorities was not known. They have only revealed that it is a man in his forties.
