108 listed missing in mudslide, report says

[uppityperson]

11. Rescue officials working off a list of 108 unaccounted for

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/03/update-on-search-of-mudslide-expected-at-9-a-m-today/

Officials at the massive mudslide on SR 530 said this morning they have reports of 108 missing and unaccounted-for individuals as a result of the disaster.

John Pennington, who heads the county’s Department of Emergency Management, quickly added that the reports are vague and insists the number of victims will not be nearly that large. He called 108 a “soft number.”
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Today’s operation at the site will include the use of aircraft, search dogs and technical teams to “probe the ground.” The search has been difficult due to the consistency of the mud, which has caused rescuers to sink. Rescuers are digging through muddy debris that is 20 feet or more deep in some areas.

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Going into detail about the slide site, Pennington said there are 59 vacant lots in the slide area, and another 49 lots had some sort of structure — meaning a house, a cabin or some type of possible dwelling. Of all of the structures, 25 were likely occupied full-time. Pennington said that because the slide happened on a Saturday, more people likely were at home, not at work.....