Washington mudslide death toll reaches 16

Authorities say they have recovered the bodies of two more people killed in a massive mudslide in the US state of Washington, bringing the total to 16.

The officials said they thought they had located eight more bodies under the mud but were unable to retrieve them.

As many as 176 more people remain unaccounted for.

A 177ft (54m) wall of mud buried the town of Oso, north of Seattle, on Saturday. Officials said the search would resume at first light.

"We haven't lost hope that there's a possibility that we could find somebody alive," local fire chief Travis Hots told reporters on Tuesday night.

"We are coming to the realisation that that may not be a possibility - but we are going full steam ahead.

"We are going at this hard to get everybody that's out there that's missing"

The sudden, catastrophic mudslide on Saturday destroyed about 30 houses, temporarily damming a river and leaving a square-mile field of muck and debris in its wake.

Survivors were last pulled alive from the mud on Saturday.

But as many as 200 search-and-rescue workers at a time - aided by dogs, helicopters, laser imaging and excavation equipment - have not let up since, pausing only when darkness made the work too dangerous, officials said.

The search-and-rescue operation was further complicated on Tuesday by heavy rain, Mr Hots said, as the workers were forced to contend with slippery mud, upturned nails, wreckage, and deep pits of water.

Fire Chief Travis Hots: "It's just unimaginable the conditions out there"

Workers have to contend with dangerous debris and deep pits of water as they search for bodies, officials said

At least 30 homes were destroyed as a square mile of mud covered the area

Rescue workers and dogs are searching the wide expanse of mud and debris for bodies and signs of life

A candle light vigil was held in the nearby town of Arlington to remember the victims
"It's unimaginable, the conditions out there that they're dealing with," Mr Hots said.

At a news conference in the Netherlands earlier, President Barack Obama asked all Americans to send their thoughts and prayers to the victims.

"We know that part of this tightly knit community has been lost," he said.

"We hope for the best, but recognise this is a tough situation."

He has declared an emergency in Washington state and ordered federal authorities to co-ordinate the disaster relief effort.

Source:BBC