Eight Dead After Mudslide in US, 18 Missing

2014-03-24

Authorities in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington said the death toll from a massive landslide has risen to eight with at least another 18 people missing.

A fire department spokesman said late Sunday that rescuers did not hear any signs of life in the 2.6 square kilometer debris pile, but would continue to search for survivors on Monday.

The wall of mud, trees and rocks came down a mountainside in a rural area north of Seattle on Saturday. It destroyed as many as 30 houses in its path and injured eight people.

Officials blamed the mudslide on groundwater saturation after recent heavy rainfalls.

"I was the third car behind a truck with a boat. I saw the darkness washing everything off the road. I am not sure that truck made it through," said a motorist who saw the mudslide.

Source: Voice of America