Subsidence of a road | Two people are still missing in Rivière-Éternité

The search continued Sunday in Rivière-Éternité, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, where two people, a man and a woman, were swept away by the water and are still missing. Flash floods and torrential rains hit the region on Saturday, also isolating around 100 people at a campsite.

“We have several staff on the ground. There are watercraft, quads, a helicopter and a group of divers participating in the effort, ”said Sergeant Hugues Beaulieu of the Sûreté du Québec, the spokesperson for the police force dispatched to the region. The priority for Sunday was to examine all the banks of the river. “We were also on the water with sonar to try to locate the two people,” assured Mr. Beaulieu.

At the end of the day, however, the SQ had not located either of the two missing people. Numerous land subsidence crippled Route 170 on Saturday, linking the St. Lawrence to Lac Saint-Jean, which was closed shortly after. The situation forced the City of Rivière-Éternité to declare a state of emergency in the evening. Nearly 200 people have been evacuated so far out of a population of just over 400 residents.

In total, three people who got out of their vehicle to remove debris from Notre-Dame Street were swept away by the Éternité River. It had just overflowed from its bed and the ground collapsed at the same time. A 50-year-old was found shortly after, before being transported to a hospital where his condition was considered critical. It is the two other people, a man and a woman whose age has not been specified, who are still missing.

About 100 campers were still isolated at the end of the day at the nearby Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay, due to the road closure, but had to be evacuated by air. Two helicopters have been deployed to the area. “People are safe, they still have food, they are regular campers, but we are doing everything necessary to hurry and get them,” said the minister responsible for the region, Andrée Laforest, in an interview. .

She says she is particularly reassured by the fact that the water level has dropped somewhat since Saturday evening. Nearly 130 millimeters of rain had fallen in less than two hours, a first in the history of the municipality according to the minister. “Two oranges in 45 minutes here in Rivière-Éternité, we had never seen that before,” she illustrated.

For the continuation of the research of the two missing people, “everything will depend on the weather”, affirms M^me Laforest. “If there is heavy rain, the helicopters will no longer be able to fly over the place or move around”.

“Nature was furious”

Gérald Simard, who owns a grocery store of the same name in Rivière-Éternité, was doubly affected by the rains, both in his business and his residence. “My house and my grocery store, both, there is a little water that came in, but nothing really major, I was lucky,” he breathes.

“The area where I am, there are ten houses that have been affected. Most of it went to the basement. But there are some that have come in more than others. It’s especially sad that people are missing,” added Mr. Simard.

Patricia Villeneuve, she lives in La Baie but was at her chalet in Rivière-Éternité when the facts occurred. “It was really impressive, the heavy rain, the thunder, the lightning. Fortunately, we were taken care of quickly, then [dimanche] morning we knew we would have a convoy to leave. It went really well,” she says.

“Nature was furious,” added M^me Villeneuve on his Facebook page, posting images of the collapsed road. “It’s really sad for the missing people. And of course a lot of people are shaken in the community, you can feel it, ”she slips on the phone.

A few days of work

A geotechnical team from the Ministry of Transport has been sent to the site to determine how the road will be rebuilt. “Our teams are already on site for the work on Route 170, but considering the damage, a few days will be required,” Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault said on Twitter on Sunday. The day before, she had mentioned “significant damage”.

“Route 170 remains closed today, Sunday and possibly beyond. Major work is underway to restore safe traffic as quickly as possible,” explained the Ministry of Transport.

Minister Laforest, she indicated that security will be the key before thinking about reintegrating the evacuees. “For the reconstruction, we are not there yet. But we are rebuilding, is it strong enough? That’s the question you have to ask yourself, “she said to The Press.

Service centers for disaster victims have notably been opened in L’Anse-Saint-Jean and Saint-Félix-d’Otis, neighboring municipalities, also recalled Mr.^me Laforest. Visitors to Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay have had their reservations canceled as a security measure.

“We will be there to help you,” promised Prime Minister François Legault to the victims. A compensation program should indeed be set up for residents whose homes have been affected, or for evacuees, as was the case recently with the forest fires.

With Alice Girard-Bossé and Lila Dussault, The Press