Barbara and David Enns were residents of Lions Bay, B.C., for several decades until they died last weekend in a landslide, says the village’s mayor.
David’s body was found the day after the Dec. 14 mudslide destroyed their home. But Barbara’s remains weren’t found until Dec. 21, according to Squamish RCMP.
Mayor Ken Berry says residents of the small community are devastated.
“It’s just been a complete profound loss for the family and the community,” he said.
Search crews, comprised of professionals from multiple agencies and search dogs, spent a full week looking for Barbara’s body, Berry said.
B.C.’s Sea to Sky Highway — the highway that connects Vancouver and Whistler — was closed in both directions on Saturday after a massive landslide. CBC’s Sohrab Sandhu reports from the scene near Lions Bay.
“I’m just thankful that we can have some closure prior to Christmas,” he said.
The landslide temporarily shut down the Sea to Sky Highway, which connects Vancouver and Whistler, the weekend it happened.
The Village of Lions Bay, with a population of about 1,400, is about 25 minutes north of Vancouver.
The couple were residents for about 50 years, the mayor said, and were part of a walking and hiking group.
“[Their] group was out this morning and were together, and it was very emotional for the members of our community,” Berry said.
Experts warn B.C. needs to do a better job mitigating the risks of deadly landslides. The calls come after a debris flow killed a Lions Bay resident and left another missing. Our Jon Hernandez has more on how future tragedies might be avoided.
With both bodies now recovered from the mudslide, that means a total of three people are now confirmed to have died from the severe windstorm that hit B.C.’s south coast Dec. 14.
The third person was killed by a falling tree branch in Surrey, B.C.
The finding of Barbara’s remains comes as Environment Canada warns of several more strong storms set to hit the south coast in the coming week, including a very strong storm on Christmas Day.
