Authorities have resumed the search for two people who were swept away yesterday by a landslide in Rivière-Éternité, about 260 kilometers northeast of Quebec City.
Rivière-Éternité declared a state of emergency on Saturday. Environment Canada estimates that between 75 and 100 millimeters of rain fell at that time.
Heavy downpour caused a landslide at around 1:30 p.m. on Rue Notre-Dame, which leads to the Fjord-du-Saguenay National Park.
A tornado warning has also been issued for the Fjord-du-Saguenay sector.
The water supply to a part of Calle Principale has been suspended.
Sûreté du Québec Staff Sgt. Hugues Beaulieu said late Saturday that the missing people were trying to clear the road of debris left behind by the storm.
Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault tweeted Sunday that the ministry would send a geotechnical team to support the municipality and join crews repairing Highway 170, which she said could take a few days.
Ambulances, firefighters and police are involved in the search. The Sûreté du Québec helicopter also arrived at the scene on Saturday night.
One person was rescued yesterday and taken to hospital in critical condition.
The Sûreté du Québec and the municipality’s mayor, Rémi Gagné, are expected to provide an update on the situation on Sunday.
The storm caused widespread damage in the township, including drilling into several sections of Route 170, which is now closed in both directions, Beaulieu added.
Earlier, authorities said three vehicles had been swept away, in the heart of the municipality, after a landslide occurred on Route 170, which becomes Calle Principale.
Two vehicles were found on the side of the road. Authorities are trying to determine if a third vehicle in the area could have been swept away.
Shelter available in Saguenay
On Saturday, Andrée Laforest, the minister responsible for the region, asked some 400 citizens to leave the area and spend the night in the neighboring municipalities of Anse St-Jean and St-Félix d’Otis.
A shelter will be opened in Saguenay to accommodate citizens leaving Rivière-Éternité. The city said it had received a request from the Ministry of Public Security to accommodate 250 people.
The location of the accommodation center, the number of people expected and the time of their arrival are not yet known, the municipality said in a statement issued early Saturday morning.
Residences had already been evacuated in Rivière-Éternité in the afternoon after the road collapsed.
Saguenay motorists traveling in the direction of the Saint-Siméon sector should take Route 381, towards Charlevoix.
