The recent deadly landslide that caused devastation through the small town of Oso, Wash., has been captured in stunning new satellite images from space, LiveScience reported.
On March 22, a catastrophic 1-square-mile (2.5 square kilometers) landslide that struck northwest Washington state killed 27 people.
Captured on March 31, the pictures were released on April 1 by DigitalGlobe. According to LiveScience, "The massive mudslide's trail of destruction is starkly apparent when compared with older photos of the region - also released today by DigitalGlobe - originally taken on July 13, 2013."
Located approximately 50 miles north of Seattle, the landslide occurred when an unstable, waterlogged hillside collapsed on the bank of the Stillaguamish River. [See Before and After Photos of the Landslide's Destruction]
As the ongoing search continues on, Snohomish County medical examiners fear the estimated death toll of the mudslide rising from 27 people. Most of the victims have been identified by officials and verified to have died by multiple blunt-force injuries, reported the LA Times.
"Some 500 rescue workers are still combing the area for human remains, which, in some cases, involves searching amongst debris piled 60 to 75 feet (18 to 23 meters) high, according to the LA Times," LiveScience reported. "Despite these intense search efforts, 22 people remain missing since the disaster."
By pumping out standing water and by removing wreckage that could block the flow of the Stillaguamish River, flooding is trying to be reduced by workers in the area.
In order to help and assist landslide victims and their families, the federal government has been asked by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to declare the deadly mudslide as a "major disaster."
"This disaster is quickly becoming one of the worst in state history," Inslee wrote in his letter of request to Ken Murphy, the regional administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
