The official death toll from a catastrophic mudslide in Washington state has risen to 24, with more than two dozen people remain missing.
The Snohomish County medical examiner's office Monday said 17 victims had been identified.
No one has been pulled out alive and no signs of life have been detected in the disaster zone in the nine days since the slide hit. At least eight people were injured but survived.
Scores of recovery workers, including National Guard troops just back from Afghanistan, picked through the swampy, rubble-strewn mud on Monday under fair skies that provided a welcome respite from heavy rains of last week.
Weather forecasts for the week ahead showed a continued drying trend, which should help in the recovery effort.
The Snohomish County medical examiner's office Monday said 17 victims had been identified.
No one has been pulled out alive and no signs of life have been detected in the disaster zone in the nine days since the slide hit. At least eight people were injured but survived.
Scores of recovery workers, including National Guard troops just back from Afghanistan, picked through the swampy, rubble-strewn mud on Monday under fair skies that provided a welcome respite from heavy rains of last week.
Weather forecasts for the week ahead showed a continued drying trend, which should help in the recovery effort.