Hopes are diminishing for finding survivors of a U.S. mudslide that has killed at least 14 people and left more than 100 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 is 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.
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."
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 is 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.
Deadly Mudslide in Northwestern U.S.
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Brenda Moe looks on after placing a cross with a yellow ribbon for victims of the Oso, Washington mudslide on her front lawn in Darrington, Washington, March 27, 2014.
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A searcher walks through a massive pile of debris at the scene of a deadly mudslide in Oso, Washington, March 27, 2014.
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An excavator is used as search work continues in the mud and debris from a massive mudslide that struck Oso near Darrington, Washington, March 27, 2014.
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Robin Youngblood smiles after embracing Snohomish County helicopter crew chief Randy Fay, who helped rescue her after a deadly mudslide in Washington, March 26, 2014.
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Chief Warrant Officer Kevin Crisp, liaison officer for the Washington National Guard, coordinates the arrival of a search team at the site of the mudslide in Oso, Washington, March 26, 2014.
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Community members unpack a truckload of donated goods from The Rock Church, Darrington, Washington, March 26, 2014.
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Jammi Parris, a waitress at the Blue Bird Cafe, paints a yellow ribbon on a window in downtown Arlington, Washington, March 25, 2014.
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Teresa Welter cries as she holds a candle at a vigil for mudslide victims in Arlington, Washington, March 25, 2014.
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A searcher uses a small boat to look through debris from a deadly mudslide in Oso, Washington, March 25, 2014.
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An aerial view of the area affected by a landslide near State Route 530 is seen in this photo provided by Governor Jay Inslee's office, taken near Oso, Washington March 23, 2014.
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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.
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."