Update 7:48 p.m:
Original Post: Washington state authorities broadened their search efforts on Monday, increasing the number of people missing to 108, two days after a massive mudslide that has already claimed eight lives.
Officials said the growing list of people that remain unaccounted for does not mean that all 108 people are trapped in the rubble, but are “names of anyone who might have been in the area at the time the mountain slope collapsed on Saturday,” the New York Times reports. “Authorities predicted that the number of missing would decline as more people are found to be safe,” according to the Associated Press. Rescue workers, however, say they don’t expect to find any more survivors in the rubble created by the slide, as they haven’t found any additional survivors since Saturday.
Here’s more on slide and the ongoing rescue efforts via the AP:
About 30 houses were destroyed, and the debris blocked a mile-long stretch of state highway about 55 miles northeast of Seattle. Adding to the worries was the timing of the mudslide, which struck Saturday morning, a time when most people are at home. Of the 49 structures in the neighborhood, authorities believe at least 25 were full-time residences… From the beginning, rescue crews on the ground have faced dangerous and unpredictable conditions as they navigated quicksand-like mud and debris that was 15 feet deep in some places. Some who went in got caught up to their armpits in the thick, sticky sludge. The threat of potential flash floods or another landslide also loomed over rescuers. On Monday, some crews had to pull back because of concern that a hillside could shift.
*This post has been updated.
