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Washington landslide death roll rises to 14 Washington landslide death roll rises to 14
(about 1 hour later)
Authorities in the US state of Washington have found six more bodies after Saturday's huge landslide, bringing the number known to have been killed to 14, say police.Authorities in the US state of Washington have found six more bodies after Saturday's huge landslide, bringing the number known to have been killed to 14, say police.
Earlier, authorities said as many as 108 people were unaccounted for after the 177ft (54m) wall of mud hit near the town of Oso, north of Seattle. Officials now say as many as 176 people may remain unaccounted for after the 177ft (54m) wall of mud hit near the town of Oso, north of Seattle.
Search crews have worked day and night, using helicopters and laser imaging.Search crews have worked day and night, using helicopters and laser imaging.
A large area of the disaster site remains too dangerous for searchers. But officials admit they have little hope of finding survivors in the muck.
At least 30 homes were destroyed in the disaster. President Barack Obama has declared an emergency in Washington state and ordered federal authorities to co-ordinate the disaster relief effort.
"This is devastation beyond imagination," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said after surveying the area from the air. Speaking earlier after surveying the area from the air, Washington Governor Jay Inslee said it was "devastation beyond imagination".
He said the slide "basically cut a mountain in two" and deposited it on the town below. He said the slide "basically cut a mountain in two" and deposited it on the town below. Nothing in the path of the slide was still standing.
Nothing in the path of the slide was still standing, he said. "It's that absolute devastation that causes us all real pain." "It's that absolute devastation that causes us all real pain," he said.
Also on Monday President Barack Obama declared an emergency in the state of Washington and ordered federal authorities to co-ordinate the disaster relief effort. Half a town gone
Half the town At a new conference on Monday evening, Snohomish County emergency management director John Pennington said the official list of the missing stood at 176.
Snohomish County emergency management director John Pennington said the figure of 108 missing did not necessarily represent the total number of injuries or fatalities. But he said he did not think the final death toll would be so high, because some of those listed as unaccounted for would be found to be alive, and other names would prove to be duplicates.
He said the list had been consolidated from a number of sources. But he said authorities no longer expected to find survivors in the debris.
"It's a soft 108," Mr Pennington told a news conference earlier on Monday, reports the Associated Press news agency. "We as a community, we as a county, are beginning to realise that we are moving toward a recovery operation," he said.
The number is expected to fall as it is suspected that some of the missing-person reports have overlapped. "There is an awful lot of grieving."
Mr Pennington added: "We have not found anyone alive on this pile since Saturday." The landslide left behind a cliff known as a head scarp 183m high, Washington state geologist Dave Norman told reporters on Monday afternoon.
More than half of Oso is missing - a recent census put its population at 180.
The landslide left behind a cliff known as a head scarp 600ft high, Washington state geologist Dave Norman told reporters on Monday afternoon.
"This is one of the biggest landslides I've seen," Mr Norman said."This is one of the biggest landslides I've seen," Mr Norman said.
Authorities have continued their search-and-rescue operations amid a tangled, water-logged field of muck and debris. Authorities have continued their search-and-rescue operations amid a tangled, water-logged field of muck and debris, using rescue dogs, aerial photography and laser imaging to aide the search.
Movement Stable
They say the conditions are treacherous, and the threat of further landslides had forced some search-and-rescue workers to withdraw on Monday. Officials said the conditions were treacherous, and the threat of further landslides on Monday forced the authorities to pull search-and-rescue workers back from the scene briefly until scientists determined there was no further risk.
"There is still some movement on the landslide, and so that is something that we're trying to get a better handle on," Mr Norman said. "Right now it's stable, it's in good shape, and the good news is the rescue can continue," said Steve Tomsen, Snohomish County public works director.
He said scientists were surveying the site using lasers and aerial photography. More than 30 homes were destroyed and more than half the town of Oso is missing - a recent census put its population at 180.
An 81-year-old man and a six-month-old boy were said to be in critical condition at a Seattle hospital on Sunday.
An eyewitness told the Daily Herald that he was driving on the road near Oso and had to quickly brake to avoid the mudslide.
"I just saw the darkness coming across the road. Everything was gone in three seconds," Paulo Falcao told the newspaper.
Robin Youngblood, another witness, told the Seattle Times: "All of a sudden there was a wall of mud. Then it hit and we were rolling.
"The house was in sticks. We were buried under things, and we dug ourselves out."
The landslide cut off the city of Darrington and clogged the north fork of the Stillaguamish River.The landslide cut off the city of Darrington and clogged the north fork of the Stillaguamish River.
Mr Norman said the river had begun to flow over the debris, relieving the water pressure in the part of the river blocked behind the landslide and lessening the chances of a catastrophic flood if the water should break through all at once.Mr Norman said the river had begun to flow over the debris, relieving the water pressure in the part of the river blocked behind the landslide and lessening the chances of a catastrophic flood if the water should break through all at once.
The authorities say the landslide was caused by recent heavy rain, although Mr Norman said the area's terrain was made up of unstable glacial sediment and had been subject to landslides since the last ice age.The authorities say the landslide was caused by recent heavy rain, although Mr Norman said the area's terrain was made up of unstable glacial sediment and had been subject to landslides since the last ice age.
He said landslides occurred in the area in 2006 and 1969.He said landslides occurred in the area in 2006 and 1969.