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Washington Mudslide: People Are 'Yelling' For Help - Fire Chief

"This is still a rescue mission until we determine otherwise," says fire chief Travis Hots.
Image: Washington mudslide
epa04136954 A handout image released by the Washington State Patrol shows emergency workers assisting at the scene of a mudslide which destroyed several homes and killed at least three people in Oso, Washington, USA, 22 March 2014. EPA/WASHINGTON STATE PATROL / HANDOU BETTER QUALITY RETRANSMISSION HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALESWASHINGTON STATE PATROL / HANDOU / EPA

Rescuers were "combing through the debris" in an overnight search for survivors from the massive mudslide in Washington state that killed at least three people.

Snohomish County Fire District 21 Chief Travis Hots said at a news briefing late Saturday that searchers weren't giving up on finding more people alive.

"We have people who are yelling for our help, and we are going to take extreme risks," Hots said. It wasn't clear how many people might still be trapped - or if more bodies might be discovered.

"This is still a rescue mission until we determine otherwise," Hots said. "We don't have a firm idea of how many people are out there."

The slide blocked the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, which prompted an evacuation notice because water was rising rapidly behind the debris. Authorities are worried about severe downstream flooding if water suddenly broke through the blockage.

Full coverage of this story here.

The Associated Press