http://www.weather.com/tv/tvshows/americas-morning-headquarters/massive-mudslide-washington-community-20140323The number of confirmed dead in one of the deadliest landslides in U.S. history rose to 24 Monday with 22 people still unaccounted for. The remains of three additional victims were found Monday, but they have not yet been included in the medical examiner's official numbers, Snohomish County Executive Director Gary Haakenson told reporters at a Monday evening briefing.
The county sheriff's office released a list Monday evening of 22 people believed missing following the March 22 slide that destroyed a rural mountainside community northeast of Seattle. That's down from the 30 people officials previously considered missing.
"There's been an exhaustive effort by the detectives to narrow the list down to one that they feel comfortable releasing," Haakenson said.
Steve Harris, a division supervisor for the search effort, said Monday that search teams have been learning more about the force of the slide, helping them better locate victims in a debris field that is 70 feet deep in places.
"There's a tremendous amount of force and energy behind this," Harris said of the slide
Search efforts have also been hampered by the persistent rain in the area, which caused water levels in the Stillaguamish River to rise up to a foot and encroach on the search area.
According to weather.com meteorologist Jon Erdman, search teams could see some relief in the immediate future.
"The recovery effort finally gets a break from the persistent rain this week," said Erdman. "Only a few hit-or-miss showers, at most, are expected Monday."
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