SO, WASH. -- Authorities significantly lowered the number of people missing or unaccounted for in Saturdays deadly landslide near Oso, Wash. as some 200 rescuers continued to sort through the massive debris field. In a press briefing Wednesday evening, Snohomish County Emergency Management director John Pennington said 90 people were missing and unaccounted for with 35 others possibly missing. Authorities were initially sorting through a list of 176 reports. I think we have to be logical here, Pennington said. Unless you’re in a jungle in South America, you know what happened here. So I think the logical assumption here is that if you’re on this list of 90, you’re on this list. The official count remained 16 deaths with an apparent 8 bodies found but not yet recovered. Pennington said it may be sometime before the county medical examiner identifies the victims and family members are notified. Emergency responders, heavy equipment operators and at least three dogs were at work in the debris, on the west side of the slide alone. Included among them are volunteers from the local area, many of them loggers familiar with the terrain and the difficulties involved in moving enormous timbers. Other teams arriving from Darrington searched on the east side, where a small pond formed by the slide is in their way. What has been the most help has been the dogs in finding people. And then our bare hands and shovels to move things, said John Pennington, Snohomish County Emergency Management director. Weve set up a grid system to insure were covering all the area, said Chief Steve Westlake, Snohomish County Emergency Management Operations Section. Each grid square is gone over once, twice or three times as needed, he said. There are finds going on continually. They are finding people now, said Steve Mason, a fire battalion chief from south Snohomish County who is leading the west side operation. Mortuary teams arrived Tuesday and will be on hand to take bodies that were found, said Pennington.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 01:46:23 +0000
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