Memorial honours 43 who died in Washington state landslide

The small community of Oso, Washington, on Friday inaugurated a memorial honouring the 43 people killed at the site 10 years ago in the deadliest landslide in U.S. history.

Hundreds gathered there for a ceremony at the two-acre memorial. The $3.8 million US site northeast of Seattle was dedicated to Oso, those who died there, the survivors and the first responders.

Tim Ward’s wife Brandy and four of their dogs died, and their home was decimated when the slide struck that day. Ward previously described regaining consciousness 500 yards from where his house once stood, in a hole 15 feet deep, with an opening at the top the size of a kitchen saucer. Rescuers eventually pulled him out.

At the ceremony, he recalled the tight-knit community that shared what they had, describing friendly neighbours who put out extra produce for free when they had it.

“It was there for the taking. That’s who we were,” Ward said. “That’s who we’re honouring. Remember the love and the compassion, from now until eternity. That’s how the neighbourhood was.”

Many of the victims — retirees, grandparents, military veterans, office workers, young families — were at home that day. Others just happened to be there, including three contractors working on a house, someone installing a satellite TV dish, and a plumber servicing a hot-water tank.

An estimated 19 million tons of sand and ancient glacial deposits — enough to cover 700 football fields 10 feet deep — slid at 10:37 a.m. on March 22, 2014. The mass of earth raced across the river at an average speed of 65 km/h, hydroplaning on the saturated valley floor before slamming into Steelhead Haven, a subdivision of 35 homes. The highway running alongside was buried 20 feet deep.