One person was killed and three others were injured in a landslide that prompted a mandatory evacuation in the Alaska city of Ketchikan, authorities said .
© Anna Laffrey/Ketchikan Daily NewsOne person was killed and three others were injured in a landslide that prompted a mandatory evacuation in the Alaska city of Ketchikan, authorities said .
A landslide in the Alaska city of Ketchikan killed one person and injured three others while prompting a mandatory evacuation, authorities said.

Three people were taken to Ketchikan medical center after the landslide, which struck at about 4pm local time on Sunday. It also damaged homes and infrastructure, the Ketchikan gateway borough and city officials said in a joint statement on Sunday.

The Alaska governor, Mike Dunleavy, declared an emergency for Ketchikan. The borough mayor, Rodney Dial, and the city mayor, Dave Kiffer, issued a separate emergency declaration.

"Friends, [it] 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," Dial said in the statement.



Kiffer said the loss of life was "heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes".

"In my 65 years in Ketchikan, I have never seen a slide of this magnitude. 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," Kiffer said.

Two of the victims were admitted to the hospital and one was treated and released. All other individuals have been accounted for, the statement said.

Multiple homes were affected by the landslide, and a mandatory evacuation was ordered for residents of Third Avenue and nearby streets. A shelter was set up at Ketchikan high school, the borough and city said.

A potential secondary landslide area was identified to the south of the original slide location, and crews were standing by, the statement said.

Power was restored to some affected areas by 8.15pm. Other areas will remain without power while the landslide is cleared and broken power poles are replaced, the borough and city said.

Various local and state agencies responded to the landslide in the south-eastern Alaska city located about 297 miles (478km) south of Juneau, the state capital.

A Department of Homeland Security and emergency management response specialist are expected to travel to Ketchikan on Monday along with federal Department of Transportation personnel, Dunleavy said.

"I have directed state agencies to make available all resources and staff for the response effort," Dunleavy said, noting the city was receiving assistance from the state emergency operations center.

AP