B.C. village mourns deaths of 2 longtime residents in landslide

Barbara and David Enns were residents of the Village of Lions Bay for several decades until they died last weekend in a landslide, says the town's mayor.

David's body was found the day after the Dec. 14 mudslide destroyed their home. But Barbara's remains weren't found until Dec. 21, according to Squamish RCMP.

Mayor Ken Berry says residents of the small community are devastated.

"It's just been a complete profound loss for the family and the community," he said.

Search crews, comprised of professionals from multiple agencies as well as search dogs, spent a full week looking for Barbara's body, Berry said. 

"I'm just thankful that we can have some closure prior to Christmas," he said.

The landslide temporarily shut down the Sea to Sky Highway the weekend it happened. 

The Village of Lions Bay, with a population of about 1,400, is about 20 kilometres north of Vancouver.

The couple were residents for about 40 to 50 years and were part of a walking and hiking group, the mayor said.

"[Their] group was out this morning and were together, and it was very emotional for the members of our community," Berry said.

With both bodies now recovered from the mudslide, that means a total of three people are now confirmed to have died from the severe windstorm that hit B.C.'s South Coast on Dec. 14. The third person was killed by a falling tree branch in Surrey, B.C.

The finding of Barbara's remains comes as Environment Canada warns of several more strong storms set to hit B.C.'s southern coast in the coming week, including a very strong storm on Christmas Day.