Washington Mudslide Causes 14 Tragic Deaths

Update: A mudslide is described as the most rapid and fluid type of downhill mass wasting. A slide can be so powerful that it destroys everything in its path. This weekend a community in Washington saw eight deaths due to a tragic mudslide. Up to 176 people are still unaccounted for. At least 12 victims were hospitalized on Saturday.

According to officials, they fear that the death toll from Saturday’s mudslide along the Stillaguamish River will continue to rise. “I get a sense we’re going to have some hard news here,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said at a Sunday afternoon news conference.

As reported by KIRO TV, “Washington Gov. Jay Inslee described the scene as ‘a square mile of total devastation’ after flying over the disaster area midday Sunday. He assured families that everything was being done to find their missing loved ones. ” ‘There is a full scale, 100 percent aggressive rescue going on right now,‘ said Inslee, who proclaimed a state of emergency.”