US Landslide Death Toll Rises to 14

TEHRAN (FNA)- The confirmed death toll from a landslide in the Northwestern US state of Washington rose to 14 after six more bodies were found, the local sheriff said .

 

The number of people unaccounted for remains unchanged, Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary said on Monday, after officials earlier said they had a list of 108 people reported missing or unaccounted for, AFP reported.

On Saturday, rescue crews searched into the night for survivors from a massive mudslide in the US state of Washington State that killed at least three people, after hearing voices from the debris field pleading for help.

The slide of mud, trees and rocks happened about 11 a.m. Saturday morning. Several people, including an infant, were critically injured and at least six houses were demolished.

Snohomish County Fire District 21 Chief Travis Hots said at a news briefing late Saturday that searchers weren't giving up on finding more people.

"We have people who are yelling for our help, and we are going to take extreme risks," Hots said, adding it wasn't clear how many people might still be alive.

The slide also blocked the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, which prompted an evacuation notice because water was rising rapidly behind the debris. Authorities worried about severe downstream flooding if water suddenly broke through the blockage.

The landslide completely covered State Route 530 near the town of Oso, about 55 miles North of Seattle. It was at least 135 feet wide and 180 feet deep and hit just before 11 a.m. on Saturday, Snohomish County authorities said.

The Snohomish County sheriff's office reported that two people had been killed at the scene. Authorities later said one of the people who was rescued died at a hospital.

The injured included a 6-month-old boy, who was in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said two other victims were in critical condition - an 81-year-old man and a 37-year-old man - while a 58-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were in serious condition.

The American Red Cross has set up at the hospital, and an evacuation shelter was created at Post Middle School in Arlington.