Flooding in Canada: Two children dead, a teenager still missing

Canadian authorities confirmed on Tuesday that the two children swept away by major flooding in eastern Canada have been found lifeless, bringing the death toll to three, while a teenager is still missing. "It is with a heavy heart that I can announce that search teams have recovered the body of a child," said Sue Black, a federal police spokeswoman, adding that "the remains found (on Monday, ed. note) were also those of a child ».

 

The children were missing on Saturday when record flooding hit the province of Nova Scotia. The equivalent of three months' rain fell in the space of a few hours, washing away several vehicles, bridges and roads. The vehicle in which the young people were travelling was swept away as they tried to flee their home. "They were leaving and were pushed off the road into a field that was quickly flooded," said another spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

 

Three other people with them managed to escape. The passengers of another vehicle, a man and a teenager, also disappeared in similar circumstances. The body of the 52-year-old man was found on Monday, while that of the teenager remains unaccounted for. The incident occurred near West Hants, some 50 km northwest of Halifax, the capital of this eastern Canadian province.

 

Already hard hit by Hurricane Fiona last year and by exceptional forest fires at the end of May, Nova Scotia suffered record flooding on Saturday caused by "rainfall of biblical proportions", according to Halifax Mayor Mike Savage. "We've shown we can cope with a lot, but this doesn't compare," said Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston on Tuesday, calling the "tragedy" "unimaginable". On Tuesday, Halifax Regional Municipality reported that the water was finally beginning to recede, but that some areas were still flooded, urging residents to remain cautious.

 

On local TV channels, many roads can be seen severely damaged and still under water, as residents struggle to get around.