Count of missing in Washington mudslide comes down to 90
29 March 2014 4:39 AM IST
Washington authorities reduced the number of people missing from a community wiped out by a mudslide to 90, as the families and friends of those still unaccounted for begin to confront the reality that some may never be found. The official death toll remained at 16, with an additional eight bodies located but not recovered, Snohomish County Emergency management director John Pennington said. Authorities said they expected more bodies to be found on Thursday.
The number of missing had been fluctuating, at one point reaching as high as 220, but authorities were able to verify that 140 people reported missing had been located, Pennington said on Wednesday. That left 90 people missing, plus 35 others who may or may not have been in the area at the time of the slide. The revised numbers come at the end of a rain-soaked fifth day of searching for survivors in the small community of Oso, southeast of Seattle.
The number of missing had been fluctuating, at one point reaching as high as 220, but authorities were able to verify that 140 people reported missing had been located, Pennington said on Wednesday. That left 90 people missing, plus 35 others who may or may not have been in the area at the time of the slide. The revised numbers come at the end of a rain-soaked fifth day of searching for survivors in the small community of Oso, southeast of Seattle.
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