Quarry owner probed in landslide

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L'EPIPHANIE, Quebec, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A Canadian quarry operator is under investigation following a landslide that killed two employees, worker safety officials said.

Police said they found the two victims Saturday after a four-day search following the landslide Tuesday at a quarry in L'Epiphanie, Quebec.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said the quarry, operated by the company Maskimo, was also the site of a fatal accident in 2004.

Investigators said they found the body of Marie-Claude Laporte, who had been missing since the landslide in the gravel pit, Radio Canada reported.

Earlier Saturday, the body of the other victim, Daniel Brisebois, was found in the rubble.

Louis Marchand, president of Maskimo, offered his condolences to the families of the two victims.

"Our entire team is deeply affected Maskimo group," said Marchand. "We are facing today a deeply painful time."

Unstable terrain and high winds and rain hampered efforts to find the victims.

Investigators said it will likely be at least six months before their work is concluded.

"We want to make sure that we can maybe learn something from the accident and also make sure that in the future that doesn't happen again. So, all the aspects surrounding the accident will be checked. The background of the company too," said Jacques Nadeau, spokesman for Quebec's workplace health and safety board.