Washington landslide death toll rises to 14

Authorities in the US state of Washington have found six more bodies after Saturday’s huge landslide, bringing the number known to have been killed to 14, say police. Officials now say as many as 176 people may remain unaccounted for after the 177ft About (54m) wall of mud hit near the town of Oso, north of Seattle, according to the (BBC). Search crews have worked day and night, using helicopters and laser imaging. But officials admit they have little hope of finding survivors in the muck. US President Barack Obama has declared an emergency in Washington state and ordered federal authorities to co-ordinate the disaster relief effort. Speaking earlier after surveying the area from the air, Washington Governor Jay Inslee said it was “devastation beyond imagination”. He said the slide “basically cut a mountain in two” and deposited it on the town below. Nothing in the path of the slide was still standing. “It’s that absolute devastation that causes us all real pain,” he said.