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Three men missing after 'unbelievably big' Colorado mudslide Three men missing after 'unbelievably big' Colorado mudslide
(about 4 hours later)
https://twitter.com/MattRenoux/status/470938932319096832/photo/1Three men are missing after a four-mile-long mudslide which a witness said sounded “like a freight train” struck rural Colorado, following a weekend of heavy rains. Three men are missing after a four-mile-long mudslide struck rural Colorado. One witness said the slide sounded like a "freight train".
"This slide is unbelievably big," Lieutenant Phil Stratton of Mesa County Sheriff's Office said on Sunday, according to the office's blog. "This slide is unbelievably big," Lieutenant Phil Stratton of Mesa county sheriff's office said on Sunday, according to the office's blog.
The sheriff's office said it was first notified of the slide and missing men around 6.15pm on Sunday, and responded to the area of Vega Reservoir and Grand Mesa, about 11 miles outside the small town of Collbran, 40 miles east of Grand Junction. The sheriff's office said it was first notified of the slide and missing men around 6.15pm on Sunday, after a day of heavy rain.
According to the 2010 census, Collbran has a population of 708. Officials responded to the area of Vega Reservoir and the Grand Mesa. The area is 11 miles outside of the town of Collbran, which has a population of several hundred, and 40 miles east of Grand Junction.
No damage was reported to structures in the remote area.No damage was reported to structures in the remote area.
The slide is two miles wide and 250ft deep in many places, according to authorities. The sheriff's office said an entire ridge was believed to have fallen through the day. The sheriff's office said the area was "very unstable", stopping search and rescue efforts overnight. The slide is two miles wide and 250ft deep in many places, authorities said. An entire ridge is believed to have fallen Sunday, shifting another 20ft overnight. Authorities said on Monday the slide remained "very unstable".
Roadblocks were setup at Salt Creek Road and the intersection of Highway 330 overnight, but authorities said no major roads were affected by the slide.
Pic of massive mudslide near Collbran in Mesa County. Probably more than 10 miles away and still looks huge. #9News pic.twitter.com/nEOWGCNFYRPic of massive mudslide near Collbran in Mesa County. Probably more than 10 miles away and still looks huge. #9News pic.twitter.com/nEOWGCNFYR
There is no cell-phone service at the site of the slide, which the sheriff's office said could delay updates. Around 50 workers were conducting search and rescue operations, entering the slide from each side, on Monday afternoon.
Authorities were due to assess the slide by air at about 8.30am local time; a press conference was expected at noon. The missing men are believed to be from the area. Officials said the three men went to check on disrupted irrigation water, and then to "check on the slide", according to a statement from Mesa County Sheriff Stan Hinkley.
A unified command of local authorities was established on Sunday, including the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, Plateau Valley Fire Department, Mesa County Road and Bridge and Mesa County Search and Rescue Control. Officials believe a second slide then occurred, and that the three may have been caught in it. The men are not believed to be carrying cellphones.
Colbran Marshall calls #mudslide "cataclysmic" - "a sea of mud and dirt."
According to a Denver Post reporter on-scene, the men are related and from a longtime area ranch family. The identities of the three men have not been released.
Roadblocks were set up at Salt Creek Road and the intersection of Highway 330 overnight, but authorities said no major roads were affected by the slide. Several gas wells in the area have been shut down.
There is no cellphone service at the site of the slide, which the sheriff's office said could delay updates.
A unified command of local authorities was established on Sunday, including the Mesa county sheriff's office, Plateau Valley fire department, Mesa county road and bridge and Mesa county search and rescue control.