Alaska landslide unsearchable

Debris proves unstable to look for three missing men

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Authorities had not started clearing tons of logs and mud to search for three men believed buried by a landslide because the debris that crashed into a southeast Alaska town was too unstable Wednesday and posed a danger.

Crews in Sitka unsuccessfully tried to stabilize the ground after part of a mountain gave way and swept tree-tangled muck into a construction site Tuesday. Workers tried using heavy equipment to divert stream water washing over the debris, which two geologists were reviewing to see how responders can safely begin searching for the missing men, officials said.

Cloud cover over the mountain also slowed the effort by preventing an aerial view of the slide, which authorities believe killed city building inspector William Stortz and brothers Elmer and Ulises Diaz.

“We don’t want to put additional people in harm’s way and compound the problem,” said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

But crews were “searching carefully” where they could, city spokesman Ken Fate said.

Gov. Bill Walker toured the area Wednesday to see the damage from six landslides that crashed into different parts of the city Tuesday after 2 1/2 inches of rain fell in 24 hours.

A newly built home at the construction site was destroyed, and another was damaged, Sitka fire spokeswoman Sara Peterson said. Some other nearby homes were evacuated, but she did not know how many residences or people were affected.