Watch Wrangell landslide leads to search & rescue operation – USA Trending News

WRANGELL, Alaska (KTUU) – A landslide along a Southeast Alaska highway has left authorities searching for any potentially missing residents early Tuesday morning.

The City and Borough of Wrangell posted in a social media message that “ongoing” search and rescue missions were underway as of 3:45 a.m. Tuesday due to a landslide Monday night that left debris scattered on the Zimovia Highway at milepost 11. The road runs roughly 14 miles from the town of Wrangell, which has a population of just more than 2,000 residents.

The city did not specify if any people were known to be missing or suspected of being trapped in the debris. Alaska’s News Source had calls out to officials for information early Tuesday morning.

Authorities said a local search and rescue team was working with officials from the Alaska State Troopers, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Forest Service, workers with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, and city staff.

The city also said it has not begun a “large scale” search operation as the landslide area could still be unstable and volatile. It said a state geologist will need to assess the slide to determine if its safe enough to launch full search operations.

This is a developing story. Check back for further updates.

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