Washington mudslide death toll to rise 'substantially'
Rescuers are continuing to scour the site, though no-one has been rescued alive since Saturday The number of fatalities in a mudslide in Washington state will rise "substantially" in the next two days, authorities say.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered and another nine bodies have been found but not yet retrieved.
Some 90 people remain missing after the 177ft (54m) wall of mud hit the town of Oso, north of Seattle.
Hopes of discovering any more survivors have faded as the search entered day six on Thursday.
Workers have been scouring the area for survivors and victims, using search dogs, helicopters and laser imaging.
'Enormous disaster'Snohomish county fire chief Travis Hots said the death toll would increase substantially within the next 24-28 hours as the medical examiner catches up with the recovery effort.
Authorities have so far identified one victim, 45-year-old Christina Jefferds.
The 45-year-old - who the Seattle Times reports was a dental office manager - died of blunt impact injuries, says the medical examiner.
The mudslide on Saturday destroyed about 30 houses, temporarily damming a river and leaving a square mile field of muck and debris in its wake.
"This disaster is so enormous, I sometimes think even the pictures don't always do it justice," said Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, who represents the area.
"The number of families that have been impacted, the number of people that they've lost, the number of people who are still missing. It's truly, truly heartbreaking."
The square mile debris field is pocked with deep pits of water and strewn with sharp and dangerous wreckage, including fallen trees, propane and septic tanks, destroyed vehicles and smashed timber.
Survivors were last pulled alive from the mud on Saturday.
Doug Massingale's four-month-old granddaughter is among the missing.
Searchers have found carpet from the infant's bedroom, but no sign of the baby so far.
"It's stressful to think about," he told the Associated Press news agency. "A little baby that hasn't gotten a start yet in life. It's too much."
Another one of those watching the recovery effort in the hope of a miracle is Becky Bach, whose brother and wife are unaccounted for.
"Realistically I honestly don't think they're going to find them alive," she said.
"But as a family, we're trying to figure out what to do if they find no bodies."
The landslide left a cliff known as a head scarp that is 600ft (182m) high and a one sq-mile zone of destruction 
US Air Force personnel have joined the search effort 
Have you been affected by the landslide? Email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with the subject heading 'US mudslide' or fill in the form below.