Bodies found in Rivière-Éternité, Que., following landslide

Two bodies were found by Sûreté du Québec (SQ) divers at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Rivière-Éternité, 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 Rivière-Éternité. 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 road, which was suddenly damaged by the storm. 

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 québécoise des bénévoles 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.

A relative identified the second missing person as Pascal Héon, 49, a father of two from Quebec City. The relative said Héon was not travelling with Racine and the two did not know each other.