Three more bodies recovered from Washington mudslide

The official death toll in the March 22 mudslide in Washington state was raised Monday to 33 with the finding of three more bodies.

Thirty of the 33 bodies have been identified, according to Snohomish County authorities.

In addition, 13 people remain missing, according to figures provided by the county sheriff’s office.

A rainsoaked hillside gave way on March 22, and millions of tons of earth, boulders and trees cascaded down onto a number of homes in a rural portion of the town of Oso, located 60 kilometers (37 miles) northwest of Seattle, where some 200 people lived.

More than 600 people continue probing the huge area of mud, stones and other debris in an effort to recover more bodies.

However, sniffer dogs participating in the search will need two days of rest because they were losing their sense of smell due to fatigue, according to the spokesman for the Washington state Transportation Department, Kris Reitmann.

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson flew over the site in a helicopter with other officials on Sunday.

Inslee said at the end of his visit that he still had not given up hope of finding survivors.

Tuesday 08 April 2014

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