Landslide leaves 3 dead and trail of damage in remote community of Wrangell, Alaska

A massive landslide in southeast Alaska killed three people, injured a woman and left three others missing, authorities said Tuesday.

Alaska State Troopers said in a statement that three homes were in the direct path of the disaster around 8:50 p.m. local time Monday near Wrangell, a fishing community with just over 2,000 residents about 155 miles southeast of Juneau. First responders were on the scene searching for survivors, the troopers said. Authorities urged residents to contact local police if they know someone who is missing.

Rescue crews found the body of a girl in an initial search, and the bodies of two adults were found late Tuesday by a drone operator. Crews used a cadaver-sniffing dog and heat-sensing drones to search for two children and one adult who remained missing hours after the disaster. The Coast Guard and other vessels searched along the oceanfront.

“The body of one deceased individual was located during the hasty search. Multiple individuals are believed to have been within the slide area .... and are believed to be missing,” the troopers said.

The landslide cut off access and power to about 75 homes, the state emergency management office said, and boats have been taking residents from the cut-off area to an unaffected part of town.

Alaskan Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, for Wrangell as he shared his concerns for residents in the area.

Search and rescue mission difficult amid the damage

Photos posted on social media showed barren earth near the top of the mountain all the way down to the Pacific Ocean and remnants of destroyed homes.

A large-scale search and rescue mission wasn't immediately possible because of the unstable and hazardous land, troopers said. A state geologist would need to survey the site before authorities can safely proceed, they said.

Authorities said they may use planes, helicopters and drones to search the area until a geologist gives first responders the green light to physically comb through the debris.

Storm may have triggered conditions that led to landslide

Aaron Jacobs, a hydrologist and meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau, told the Associated Press Wrangell received nearly 2 inches of rain from 1 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and wind gusts of up to 60 mph in higher elevations.

The storm was part of a system that moved through southeast Alaska and brought heavy snow to Haines and blizzard-like conditions to Juneau, Jacobs said. Areas farther south had minor flooding. Landslides were reported near Ketchikan and on Prince of Wales Island. KTUU, a local TV station in Alaska, reported several landslides happening across the state that damaged homes, caused power outages and closed major highways.

Another storm system is expected in the Wrangell area late Wednesday into Thursday with light to moderate precipitation, Jacobs said.

The state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management planned to send staff to Wrangell to determine the community's needs, spokesperson Jeremy Zidek told the Associated Press.

Red Cross of Alaska said on X that volunteers were working with local and state partners to evaluate the needs of community members impacted by the landslide.

Contributing: Associated Press