The confirmed death toll from a weekend mudslide in Washington state climbed to 14 people on Monday as six more bodies were found, while scores of people remained listed as missing two days after the tragedy.
The Snohomish County sheriff's office reported the higher casualty count via Twitter hours after emergency management officials expressed doubt anyone else would be plucked alive from the muck that engulfed dozens of homes when a rain-soaked hillside near Oso, Washington, collapsed on Saturday morning.
“The situation is very grim,” said Travis Hots, Snohomish county district fire chief. “We’re still holding out hope that we’re going to be able to find people that may still be alive. But keep in mind we haven’t found anybody alive on this pile since Saturday in the initial stages of our operation.”
The landslide was triggered after a rain-soaked hillside along State Route 530 near Oso, Washington, gave way on Saturday morning, washing away at least six homes in an area about 55 miles (90 km) northeast of Seattle. In all, at least 49 homes had some damage from the slide, said John Pennington, director of the Snohomish county department of emergency management.
The search for victims resumed early yesterday after treacherous quicksand forced rescue workers to suspend their efforts at dusk on Sunday. – (Reuters)