A house is seen destroyed by mud on Highway 530 next to mile marker 37, in Washington state, March 23, 2014.
US Mudslide Kills 8, With 108 Possibly Missing
Hopes are diminishing for finding survivors of a U.S. mudslide that has killed at least eight people and left as many as 108 others missing.
Rescue workers continued their search Monday of a large quicksand-like debris pile in the northwestern state of Washington. It is a mix of mud and trees covering 2.6 square kilometers and six meters deep in some places.
Authorities released the names of 108 people who may have been living in or driving through the rural community north of Seattle on Saturday morning when the mudslide struck with deadly force. No one has been found alive in the debris since Saturday.
One survivor was caught up in the wall of mud, trees and rocks and lived to describe the terrifying experience. "There was literally a 20-foot-wall of mud racing across the valley ... we were tumbled inside [our house] and had mud in our eyes and nose and mouth. I am really grateful I am alive."
A fire department spokesman said late Sunday that rescuers did not hear any signs of life in the debris pile.
The mudslide destroyed as many as 30 houses in its path and injured eight people.
Officials blamed the mudslide on groundwater saturation after recent heavy rainfalls.
One motorist described seeing the mudslide. "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."
The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.
