The death toll from a mudslide on British Columbia’s Highway 99 has climbed to four, and officials have suspended the search with one man still missing.
The slide came down on a section of the highway between Pemberton and Lillooet known as Duffey Lake Road on Monday, sweeping between five and seven vehicles off the road.
In the aftermath, police determined that at least one woman had died, and RCMP confirmed Saturday they had located the bodies of three additional men.
“These three men were amongst those whom we confirmed were missing earlier this week,” S/Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said in a media release.
“We have been continuing the search for one more man, however search efforts have been hampered by weather and site conditions. Our thoughts continue to be with all of those who have been impacted in this terrible tragedy.”
One of the men was discovered Wednesday, and the bodies of two other men were located Thursday, according to the BC Coroners Service.
The victims’ identities have not been publicly released, but sources confirmed to Global News that one of the men was 35-year-old Mirsad Hadzic, whose wife was also killed in the slide.
The couple had been returning from a weekend getaway in the Okanagan, and leave behind a two-year-old daughter.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to support the young girl.
The five-day search of the area involved police, a dog unit, search and rescue and a team of forensic coroners.