Rescue effort in Johnsons Landing is now a recovery

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JOHNSONS LANDING (NEWS1130) -The rescue effort in Johnsons Landing is now officially a recovery operation. One body found was found yesterday and there is no hope in finding three others alive after the landslide that ripped through the community last week.

The body found is thought to be that of 60-year-old Valentine Weber.

Three homes were crushed by tonnes of mud and debris as the slide tore through the tiny community in the Kootenays last Thursday.

Barb McClintock with the BC Coroners Service says crews knew where to look.

“(The body) was found reasonably near where the searchers thought it should be found,” she says. “It was found near the foundation of the one house that they knew had been swept off at the foundation by the strength of the landslide on Thursday.”

She adds that the focus now shifts to supporting the families involved in the tragic incident

“Our hope obviously is to at least provide closure to the families, we can recover all four people who are missing,” she says. “We absolutely don’t want to give any guarantees as it’s a huge area”

The search continues today for the bodies of Webber’s two daughters, 17-year-old Rachel and 22-year-old Diana, along with  64-year-old German tourist Petra Frehse.

Searchers have given up hope they’ll be found alive.

 Premier Christy Clark has extended her condolences to the families and friends of victims caught in the Johnsons Landing slide.

Clark says she was saddened to hear that teams have now switched to recovery mode and she agrees it is difficult to give up hoping for a miracle.

She is pledging her government’s ongoing support as Johnsons Landing heals.

Justice Minister Shirley Bond has thanked the more than 70 search and rescue personnel, police and others who assisted in the early days of the disaster, saying they acted with professionalism and a passion for reaching a different outcome.

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