The Bureau du coroner du Québec identified on Wednesday one of the two people who died after a landslide in Rivière-Éternité, in Saguenay: it is Pascal Héon, 48 years old.
The identity of the second victim has not yet been released.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) announced Tuesday evening that divers had found the two bodies around 6:15 p.m. in the Eternity River, near the place where a landslide had carried away three people on July 1.
According to the SQ, the investigation shows that there would be no other victims.
The discovery of the two bodies therefore puts an end to the search for “a man and a woman in their forties” who had been missing on Saturday after a storm caused landslides and floods in this area.
At a press conference on Tuesday morning, geotechnical engineer Denis Demers, from the Quebec Ministry of Transport, submitted the thesis that the victims got out of their vehicle after a “first small slip” to remove debris on the road.
But at that time, “most of the slide happened” and would have taken the victims to the Eternity River, which was then “a real torrent”, he explained.
Engineer Demers added “that one of the two people managed to cling to a tree” – this man was able to be rescued and transported to the hospital – but the other, a woman, was dragged towards the river.
A third person, a man, also disappeared into the river, he said. It would therefore be Pascal Héon, identified Wednesday by the coroner.
In addition, Rivière-Éternité authorities announced on Wednesday that residents who had to leave their homes on Saturday can now return home safely. More than 50 residents were forced from their homes after heavy rains on Saturday.
According to engineer Demers, the region received 130 millimeters of rain “and maybe even more” in two hours.