Body of second missing child swept away during flash floods has been found: Nova Scotia RCMP

The body of a second missing child who was swept away during flash flooding has been recovered, Nova Scotia RCMP said Tuesday.

The child’s body was found in the West Hants community of Brooklyn and has been identified as the second of two children reported missing Saturday in the wake of a series of rainstorms and extreme flooding, police said.

“This is a devastating time,” RCMP Chief Superintendent Sue Black said during a media conference Tuesday at the West Hants RCMP Detachment in Windsor, N.S.

RCMP also confirmed Tuesday that human remains discovered by civilians Monday on a shore in a tidal area of a neighbouring county were that of the other missing child.

Four people — two children, one youth and one adult — were reported missing Saturday after the two vehicles they were travelling in were submerged during flash flooding.

West Hants RCMP Sgt. Rob Frizzell said Tuesday both sets of people, who are not connected to each other, were evacuating the area on a road off Highway 14 around 4 a.m. Saturday. Rushing flood waters pushed their vehicles, a large pickup truck and an SUV, off the road and into a nearby field, police said. The children were travelling in a vehicle with three other people who managed to escape and were taken to hospital.

The body of the missing 52-year-old Windsor man was recovered by investigators Monday. The missing youth has still not been located.

“Our whole entire province is sick with mourning the losses of these three souls,” Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said during the Tuesday media conference.

“This is a time when words truly are meaningless, but we want the families to know how sorry we are for their loss.”

The premier thanked first responders and search crews for their efforts, and said the province continues to “pray for the remaining soul to be found.”

During the record-breaking storms, some parts of Nova Scotia saw up to 250 millimetres of rain, causing widespread damage to roads, bridges and homes during the flash flooding.

Police have been using industrial high flow pumps to drain water from the flooded field area that is being searched in Brooklyn.

“It’s a lake’s worth of water we’ve moved,” Frizzell said.

Police said the ongoing search efforts will continue with support from West Hants, East Hants, Digby, Annapolis and Valley rescue teams, multiple fire departments, Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, and RCMP dog and air services.

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