A devastating mudslide in the state of Washington has killed at least eight people. Eighteen others are missing as houses were buried under rubble. The incident prompted the evacuation of a nearby town in case of a “potentially catastrophic flood event.”
The 45-meter-long landslide in the northwest of Washington state has decimated the area, swallowing six houses, blocking a main road and damming a river.
The mudslide struck near the town of Oso, about 90km north of Seattle at 11:00 am local time (18:00 GMT) on Saturday. The first rescuers on the scene said they could hear people screaming for help under the wreckage.
The local authorities initially reported that two people had been
killed in the incident, but it later emerged that one man died in
hospital of his injuries. Three more people, including a
six-month-old boy are currently in critical condition at
Harborview Medical Center. Rescuers continue to search for any
sign of survivors.
The governor of Washington State, Jay Inslee, tweeted his
condolences to the families affected by the landslide.
Such a tragedy in Oso. On behalf of all Washingtonians, my condolences to the families who lost loved ones in Snohomish Co. mudslide today.
— Governor Inslee (@GovInslee) March 22, 2014
"We have people who are yelling for our help, and we are
going to take extreme risks," said Snohomish County Fire
District 21 Chief Travis Hots at a news briefing.
Debris from the mudslide has dammed the Stillaguamish River,
which is threating to flood low-lying areas nearby. Authorities
have told residents and businesses in the towns of Oso and
Stanwood to seek higher ground until Sunday morning.
A spokesperson for Snohomish County told local newspaper, The
Herald, that the landslide had created conditions for a
“catastrophic flood event.”
State geologists are now working on finding the cause of the
landslide. At present local authorities believe that the
principle cause of the incident was the large amount of rainfall
the region has received this month.