Drama at Rivière-Éternité | The second victim was also from Quebec

The second victim washed away in a landslide, in Rivière-Éternité, is now known. This is Pascal Héon, a 49-year-old man also from Quebec, like Pascale Racine, this woman in her forties whose identity had been confirmed at the very beginning of the week.

Police sources confirmed on Wednesday the identity of Mr. Héon, who was the father of two children. On Monday, that of Pascale Racine had been revealed by relatives at Quebec newspaper, before being authenticated by a source at the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). We still do not know the exact circumstances of the death of Mr. Héon and Mrs.^me Root. Everything will first have to be investigated.

That said, it is certain that they did not know each other; the fact that they both come from the Quebec region is therefore a coincidence. They were swept away by the river as they got out of their vehicle to clear debris from Notre-Dame Street. That’s when the road caved in.

Recall that another forty-year-old was found shortly after the event by the authorities, before being transported to hospital. Jean-Philippe Caty, the spouse of Pascale Racine, was traveling with her at the time of the events. He would have suffered numerous injuries while trying to save the life of his wife, but in vain. According to the latest information, Mr. Caty is still in hospital treating his injuries.

” Shocked ”

In the evening, Tuesday, the SQ announced that two bodies were found near Notre-Dame Street. The police will wait for their formal identification by a coroner before announcing that it is indeed Pascale Racine and Pascal Héon. One thing is certain: the bodies were found near the site of the landslide.

In a press release on Wednesday, the mayor of Rivière-Éternité, Rémi Gagné, offered his condolences to the relatives of the two victims. “I would like to send my most sincere condolences to the families of the two people found and tell them that I share their pain at this time of mourning,” he said.

The mayor also highlighted the sustained efforts of the SQ, which had since Saturday deployed helicopters, a nautical team, divers, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) as well as specialized personnel and volunteers to find the two missing people. the call.

On social networks, tributes to the victims also began to be published on Wednesday. “I’m in shock this morning. Pascal Héon was a golden colleague and person. […] Such a friendly, charismatic and smiling guy endowed with a great joy of life and empathy. I will keep precious memories of your laughter, ”wrote Catherine Gohier, who worked with the victim.

No deadline yet

The authorities have also still not provided a date for the reopening of Route 170 and Notre-Dame Street, which were ravaged following heavy rains on Saturday in the municipality of Rivière-Éternité. “The priority remains to provide access to Route 170. We are in recovery mode,” said geotechnical engineer at the Quebec Ministry of Transport, Denis Demers, on Tuesday during a press briefing which had been held to make Update on the situation.

A bypass for emergency vehicles was to be put in place shortly, but the work to make the road accessible to motorists will take several days. In particular, a temporary culvert will have to be installed on Route 170 to divert the water.

According to Environment Canada, Rivière-Éternité received 130 mm of rain in two hours on Saturday, a first in the region, according to the minister responsible for Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Andrée Laforest.

Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from the area. Sunday, the police had already carried out the evacuation by helicopter of 94 people who were in a camp-site, isolated by the collapse of the street Notre-Dame. Shortly before, 133 other vacationers had been evacuated by sea shuttle to La Baie.

With Lila Dussault and Naomie Duckett Zamor