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Associated Press: Family and friend identified as dead or missing in Alaska landslide
Authorities have identified the victims of the recent southeast Alaska landslide as five family members and their neighbor, a commercial fisherman who made a bid for the state’s lone US House seat last year.
Timothy and Beth Heller, along with their three children, were at home when the landslide struck near the island community of Wrangell. Search crews found the bodies of the parents and the eldest child, while the younger children and neighbor Otto Florschutz remain missing.
Florschutz, a Republican and former candidate for the US House seat, received 193 votes before the landslide. Beth Heller served on the Wrangell School Board and the family ran a construction company called Heller High Water.
The slide tore down a mountaintop into the path of three homes, cutting off 54 homes from town and burying a highway near Wrangell. Officials are working to clear the debris from the highway and provide supplies to affected residents.
The community is deeply affected by this tragic event, and counseling will be available for students and staff as they return to school after the Thanksgiving break.
The tragic loss of a family and neighbor continues to impact the community of Wrangell, and efforts to recover and support those affected are ongoing.
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