Search continues for any survivors of deadly mudslide
Fourteen confirmed dead; 108 missing in Washington disaster
ARLINGTON, WASH. —Thesearch for survivors of a deadly Washington state mudslide grew Monday to include 108 people who are still unaccounted for, raising concerns that the death toll could climb far beyond the 14 confirmed fatalities.
Authorities predicted that the number of missing would decline as more people are found to be safe, but the startling initial length of the list added to the anxieties in this former fishing village two days after a mile-wide layer of soft earth crashed onto a cluster of homes at the bottom of a river valley.
“The situation is very grim,” said Travis Hots, chief of Snohomish County Fire District 21. He stressed that authorities are still in rescue mode and holding out hope. But he noted: “We have not found anyone alive on this pile since Saturday.”
About 30 houses were destroyed, and the debris blocked a 1.5-kilometre stretch of highway about 90 kilometres northeast of Seattle.
Adding to the worries was the timing of the mudslide, which struck Saturday morning, a time when most people are at home. Of the 49 structures in the neighbourhood, authorities believe at least 25 were full-time residences.
An overnight search of the debris field turned up no other fatalities, Hots said. Monday’s search was to include aircraft, dogs and heavy equipment.
Retired firefighter Gail Moffett, who lives in nearby Oso, said she knows about 25 people who are missing, including entire families with young children.
“It’s safe to say I’ll know everyone affected or who they are,” Moffett said. “There’s so much pain going on in the community right now.”
Elaine Young and her neighbours uncovered several bodies Sunday and had to contact authorities to get them removed.
They also found alive a chocolate Labrador named Buddy, and helped pull the dog from the rubble, leading her to wonder if other survivors could be out there, desperate for help.
“If we found a dog alive yesterday afternoon that we cut out of a part of a house, doesn’t that seem that maybe somebody could be stuck up under part of a house and be alive too?” asked Young, whose home survived the slide but was on the edge of the devastation.
She said she realized searchers need to stay safe, but lamented the pace of rescue efforts.
Authorities believe Saturday’s slide was caused by recent heavy rains that made the terrain unstable.
From the beginning, rescue crews on the ground have faced dangerous and unpredictable conditions as they navigated quicksand-like mud and debris that was five metres deep in some places. Some who went in got caught up to their armpits in the thick, sticky sludge.
The threat of potential flash floods or another landslide also loomed over rescuers. On Monday, some crews had to pull back because of concern that a hillside could shift.
The slide blocked the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, which is continuing to back up, officials said. Authorities said Monday at least seven homes are now flooded, and more flooding is expected.
Frequent, heavy rain and steep geography make the area prone to landslides. Less than a decade ago, another slide hit in the same general area. Geologists and other experts said the river probably caused some erosion in the area that was carved by glaciers.