At least one person was killed and three were injured in a landslide in the city of Ketchikan, Alaska on Sunday, as authorities conducted mandatory evacuations across several neighborhoods amid concerns of a potential “secondary landslide” in the area.
The landslide struck around 4 p.m. local time on Sunday and damaged multiple homes and powerlines, local authorities said.
A follow-up statement confirmed one person had died in the landslide and three others were taken to the nearby Ketchikan Medical Center—two of whom were admitted while the third was released after receiving treatment.
The statement said a mandatory evacuation order remains in effect for homes in the affected areas and surrounding neighborhoods due to concerns about a potential “secondary landslide south of the original slide area.”
An emergency shelter has been set up at the local high school and “all individuals” in the impacted area “have been accounted for.”
Power was restored across most of the city at around 8 p.m. local time, except around homes in the affected areas where power will remain shut until it is cleared and the broken power poles are replaced.
In a post on X, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he has issued a disaster declaration verbally and ordered all state agencies to “provide whatever assistance is needed.”
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Mourning the loss of life, City of Ketchikan Mayor Dave Kiffer said: “In my 65 years in Ketchikan, I have never seen a slide of this magnitude. With the slides we have seen across the region, there is clearly a region-wide issue that we need to try to understand with the support of our state geologist.”
1 dead, 3 injured in Ketchikan landslide that damaged homes and forced evacuations (Anchorage Daily News)
Ketchikan, Alaska landslide kills at least 1, prompts evacuations (CBS News)