Three men have been confirmed dead and one remains missing following a devastating mudslide near Lillooet, B.C., according to RCMP. The slide, which occurred on November 15 on Highway 99 (Duffey Lake Road), was triggered by extreme rainfall and severe weather.
B.C. Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe reported that one body was recovered Wednesday, followed by two more on Thursday. A fourth man remains unaccounted for despite continued search efforts, which were ultimately halted after all avenues were exhausted.
Earlier in the week, on Monday, the body of a woman was recovered from the slide site, marking the first confirmed fatality from the region’s landslides and flooding.
Search efforts, led by RCMP and rescue teams, have faced major challenges due to dangerous site conditions and ongoing bad weather. Authorities are now working to identify the deceased and notify their families.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families grieving the loss of their loved ones,” said Lapointe in a statement. “This has been an incredibly challenging year for all of us in B.C.”
The B.C. Coroners Service continues to investigate the fatalities and aims to provide recommendations to prevent future tragedies.
Highway 99 remains closed, and there is no timeline for reopening. The area is still unsafe for motorists due to the unstable terrain.
The incident is part of a series of weather-related disasters that have caused widespread disruption across southern B.C., emphasizing the growing impact of extreme climate events on local communities.
The search and recovery effort unfolded in conditions that remained dangerous after the initial slide. Heavy rainfall and unstable terrain complicated access to the affected area, while the possibility of further movement added another concern for the teams working there. Those conditions help explain why an operation of this kind involves more than reaching the site: the safety of responders must also be considered throughout the work.
For the families, the distinction between a recovered victim and someone still missing carries a painful uncertainty. The account describes authorities working to establish identities and notify relatives, a process that requires care rather than speculation. Public information may remain limited while those steps are taken. The people affected are more than a count in an update, and confirmation of a death must reach their loved ones with dignity.
The decision to halt search efforts is described as following the exhaustion of available avenues. It does not erase the concern surrounding the man who remained unaccounted for. Instead, it marks the limit reached by teams confronting a damaged, hazardous environment. The account leaves that part of the loss unresolved, alongside the confirmed deaths and the families’ grief.
The closure of Highway 99 reflects the continuing danger described at the site. A damaged road corridor cannot be assessed solely by whether a path through the debris appears possible. Unstable ground and changing weather remain relevant to the safety of anyone entering the area. The report provides no reopening timetable, and its closure information belongs to the circumstances of the original account.
The coroner’s investigation has a separate task from the immediate rescue response: examining the fatalities and considering recommendations intended to reduce the risk of similar tragedies. That work, together with careful identification and support for grieving families, forms the next part of the response described here.
