Girl, 11, confirmed as fourth victim of Alaska landslide, two people still missing

WRANGELL, Ala. — Authorities on Saturday evening recovered the body of an 11-year-old girl from the rubble of a landslide in southeast Alaska, which days earlier destroyed a forested mountainside and crashed into homes in a remote fishing village.

The girl, Kara Heller, was the fourth person to die in Monday evening’s landslide.

The girl’s parents, Timothy Heller, 44, Beth Heller, 36, and her sister Mara Heller, 16, were found and confirmed dead in the first days after the landslide. Search crews are looking for a third child still missing from the Heller family, Derek, 12, and neighbor Otto Florschutz, 65, according to Tim DeSpain, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

Florschutz’s wife survived the disaster.

The landslide fell in the direct path of three homes near Wrangell, a fishing community of about 2,000 on an island about 150 miles south of Juneau.

DeSpain said the final victim was found under debris in the slide area. Authorities used trained dogs and an excavator to find and recover the remains.

Photos showed the aftermath of the slide, which occurred during heavy rain and high winds: a grim dirt path estimated at 450 feet (135 meters) wide leading from the top of a nearby mountain to the ocean, amid lush evergreen trees. The debris field covered the coastal road before reaching the sea.

Troopers had initially said a large-scale search and rescue mission was not possible because the location was unstable and dangerous. But a geologist from the state transportation department later cleared parts of the debris field for ground testing.