Washington State Mudslide: Death Toll Rises—16 Confirmed Dead; Up to 176 Missing

Aimee Herd : Mar 25, 2014
P. Soloman Banda, Martha Mendoza – AP, CNN

UPDATE: [Wednesday, March 26, 6am PT] SKY NEWS: Sixteen people are now known to have died and emergency crews believe they have found another eight bodies but they have yet to be recovered.

As many as 176 people remained missing after the mudslide smashed through the small community of Oso, about 55 miles (90km) north of Seattle, on Saturday morning.

(Oso, WA)—Days into a search for survivors, the wall of mud that swallowed up nearly an entire community in Snohomish County, Washington, seems impenetrable. (Photo via Seattle Post Intelligencer)

According to a CNN report, the enormous landslide that happened around 10:45 AM Pacific Time on Saturday, covered nearly a square mile and was "caused by groundwater saturation tied to heavy rain in the area over the past month. It affected Oso—population 180, and Darrington, a town of about 1,350."

Over the weekend a 4-year-old boy was pulled from "concrete-like" mud up to his knees, via helicopter.

Search and rescue teams continue to sift through the rubble of about 30 demolished homes, looking for anyone who might still be alive, but hope is waning. (Photo: Central Pierce Fire and Rescue/via NY Daily News)

Snohomish County Emergency Management Director John Pennington told CNN, "I believe it's fair to say that most of us in these communities believe that we will not find any individuals alive. I am a man of faith, and I believe in miracles," but "we are moving towards a recovery operation."

According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer, there was a report filed by the US Army Corps of Engineers back in 1999 that warned of the "potential for a large catastrophic failure" in the area.