Tuesday, March 25, 2014

More bodies found after US landslide

Washington landslide death roll rises to 14

Rescue workers in Washington on 24 March 2014 Rescue workers, shown here with a dog, have had their efforts hindered by the unstable, water-logged mud and debris that buried the town

Authorities in the US state of Washington have found six more bodies after Saturday's huge landslide, bringing the number known to have been killed to 14, say police.

Earlier, authorities said as many as 108 people were unaccounted for after the 177ft (54m) wall of mud hit near the town of Oso, north of Seattle.

Search crews have worked day and night, using helicopters and laser imaging.

A large area of the disaster site remains too dangerous for searchers.

At least 30 homes were destroyed in the disaster.

"This is devastation beyond imagination," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said after surveying the area from the air.

He said the slide "basically cut a mountain in two" and deposited it on the town below.

Nothing in the path of the slide was still standing, he said. "It's that absolute devastation that causes us all real pain."

Also on Monday President Barack Obama declared an emergency in the state of Washington and ordered federal authorities to co-ordinate the disaster relief effort.

Half the town

Snohomish County emergency management director John Pennington said the figure of 108 missing did not necessarily represent the total number of injuries or fatalities.

A general view of the area affected by the landslide. Photo: 22 March 2014 The thick mud covered a square mile and was up to 40ft deep in places
A man walks across the rubble on the east side of the mudslide near Oso, Washington, on 23 March 2014 The wreckage of a home after the mudslide
The Stillaguamish river pushes through the dam of mud and debris (24 March 2014) The Stillaguamish river has begun to push through the dam of mud and debris, relieving the risk of a catastrophic flood, geologist Dave Norman said
An aerial view of the area affected by a landslide near State Route 530 near Oso, Washington, on 23 March 2014 The landslide is said to have destroyed 30 homes in the area
The hillside that gave way and collapsed near Oso. Photo: 22 March 2014 The authorities say the landslide was caused by recent heavy rain

He said the list had been consolidated from a number of sources.

Authorities confirm that 108 people have been reported missing

"It's a soft 108," Mr Pennington told a news conference earlier on Monday, reports the Associated Press news agency.

The number is expected to fall as it is suspected that some of the missing-person reports have overlapped.

Mr Pennington added: "We have not found anyone alive on this pile since Saturday."

More than half of Oso is missing - a recent census put its population at 180.

Oso Community Church displays a sign reading "pray with us for our community" in Oso, Washington, on 24 March 2014 Oso Community Church displays a sign reading "pray with us for our community"
A man walks across the rubble on the east side of the mudslide near Oso, Washington, on 23 March 2014 A man walks across the rubble on the east side of the mudslide

The landslide left behind a cliff known as a head scarp 600ft high, Washington state geologist Dave Norman told reporters on Monday afternoon.

"This is one of the biggest landslides I've seen," Mr Norman said.

Authorities have continued their search-and-rescue operations amid a tangled, water-logged field of muck and debris.

Movement

They say the conditions are treacherous, and the threat of further landslides had forced some search-and-rescue workers to withdraw on Monday.

"There is still some movement on the landslide, and so that is something that we're trying to get a better handle on," Mr Norman said.

He said scientists were surveying the site using lasers and aerial photography.

An 81-year-old man and a six-month-old boy were said to be in critical condition at a Seattle hospital on Sunday.

An eyewitness told the Daily Herald that he was driving on the road near Oso and had to quickly brake to avoid the mudslide.

"I just saw the darkness coming across the road. Everything was gone in three seconds," Paulo Falcao told the newspaper.

Robin Youngblood, another witness, told the Seattle Times: "All of a sudden there was a wall of mud. Then it hit and we were rolling.

"The house was in sticks. We were buried under things, and we dug ourselves out."

The landslide cut off the city of Darrington and clogged the north fork of the Stillaguamish River.

Mr Norman said the river had begun to flow over the debris, relieving the water pressure in the part of the river blocked behind the landslide and lessening the chances of a catastrophic flood if the water should break through all at once.

The authorities say the landslide was caused by recent heavy rain, although Mr Norman said the area's terrain was made up of unstable glacial sediment and had been subject to landslides since the last ice age.

He said landslides occurred in the area in 2006 and 1969.

Map of Oso, Washington

Have you been affected by the mudslide? Email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with the subject heading 'US mudslide' or fill in the form below.


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