1 Dead, 3 Injured After Alaska Landslide: 'Never Seen a Slide of This Magnitude'

Mar. 15, 2025

One person is dead and three are injured after alandslide in Ketchikan, Alaska.The incident occurred at 4:15 p.m. local time on Sunday, Aug. 25, in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, local leaders said in ajoint statementposted to Facebook.“Friends, is with a heavy heart we relay that a landslide in the city has taken a life, caused several injuries, damaged homes and impacted our community,” borough mayor Rodney Dial wrote. “As we work through this, please keep the affected families in your prayers and know we will do everything we can to recover from this event as quickly as possible and help those in need.““In my 65 years in Ketchikan, I have never seen a slide of this magnitude,” added city mayor David Kiffer. “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. The loss of life that we have encountered is heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes.“The officials said that one person admitted to Ketchikan Medical Center had been released and two were being treated.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.A worker clears debris after a deadly landslide in Ketchikan, Alaska.Anna Laffrey/Ketchikan Daily News via APAlaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy also issued a state of emergency in the area.“This afternoon I verbally declared a disaster declaration for the landslide that struck Ketchikan earlier today,” Dunleavy’spost on X read. “All state agencies are directed to provide whatever assistance is needed. My thoughts and prayers are with the residents of Ketchikan tonight.“PerABC News, the Ketchikan region has a rainfall average of about 3 inches this August, when it usually uses about 6 inches.Over the weekend of Aug. 24 and 25, the area had 2.5 inches of rain in areas of lower elevation and 5-9 inches in areas of higher elevation, with more rainfall expected later this week.Per the outlet, landslides, which refer to “the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope,” per theUnited States Geological Survey, sometimes occur when there is a lot of rain in an area at once after an unusually dry period.

One person is dead and three are injured after alandslide in Ketchikan, Alaska.

The incident occurred at 4:15 p.m. local time on Sunday, Aug. 25, in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, local leaders said in ajoint statementposted to Facebook.

“Friends, is with a heavy heart we relay that a landslide in the city has taken a life, caused several injuries, damaged homes and impacted our community,” borough mayor Rodney Dial wrote. “As we work through this, please keep the affected families in your prayers and know we will do everything we can to recover from this event as quickly as possible and help those in need.”

“In my 65 years in Ketchikan, I have never seen a slide of this magnitude,” added city mayor David Kiffer. “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. The loss of life that we have encountered is heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes.”

The officials said that one person admitted to Ketchikan Medical Center had been released and two were being treated.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

A worker clears debris after a deadly landslide in Ketchikan, Alaska.Anna Laffrey/Ketchikan Daily News via AP

Anna Laffrey/Ketchikan Daily News via AP

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy also issued a state of emergency in the area.

“This afternoon I verbally declared a disaster declaration for the landslide that struck Ketchikan earlier today,” Dunleavy’spost on X read. “All state agencies are directed to provide whatever assistance is needed. My thoughts and prayers are with the residents of Ketchikan tonight.”

PerABC News, the Ketchikan region has a rainfall average of about 3 inches this August, when it usually uses about 6 inches.

Over the weekend of Aug. 24 and 25, the area had 2.5 inches of rain in areas of lower elevation and 5-9 inches in areas of higher elevation, with more rainfall expected later this week.

Per the outlet, landslides, which refer to “the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope,” per theUnited States Geological Survey, sometimes occur when there is a lot of rain in an area at once after an unusually dry period.

source: people.com