‘We’re not giving up’ – Rescuers continue to search mudslide debris for survivors

ABOVE: The latest on the Washington slide:

Officials in Washington state are warning the public to brace for more bad news this morning expected to include a vastly higher fatality count in the aftermath of Saturday’s massive landslide.

So far, at least 25 people are known to have died and 90 others are missing.

No survivors have been found since Saturday, but still crews maintain their work is a “rescue effort.”

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“You just can’t fathom what we’re up against out there until you get out there and see the lay of the land,” said Travis Hots, Snohomish County District 21 Fire Chief.

Six days after a devastating mudslide in Oso, Washington, exhausted but determined volunteers and search crews are still digging through thick mud and debris, looking for survivors.

“My heart is telling me that we’re not giving up,” said Hots.

He said, in his opinion, it does not matter if this is considered a recovery or a rescue mission at this point. “We’re not changing gears,” he said. “If we just find one more person that’s alive, to me, that’s worth it.”

Hots said Wednesday a rescue to free a person from a car took hours, as crews had to cut the roof off the car and equipment repeatedly jammed with mud.

“When the person is removed, things kind of get somber out there,” said Hots. “It gets really quiet for a few minutes, you can almost hear a pin drop out there.”

“You see seasoned veterans out there, they start to tear up, their eyes get glossy.”

At least 25 people have died, although the official number released by the medical examiner is only 16. Hots said they do not update the number of confirmed dead until the medical examiner officially releases the body, so the number of deceased will climb in the next 24 to 48 hours.

There are also 90 people still listed as missing, but officials have not released the names of those people.

GALLERY: Washington slide

New crews will start coming in to replace those who have been working since Saturday. Officials will be keeping an eye on the weather today as well, as some rain is expected. They are not concerned about the risk of further slides however.

Steve Thompson, Snohomish County public works director, said the slide is stable at this time. “If it starts to shift we’ll pull the crews out, but we don’t see that happening,” he said.

The Mountain Loop Highway is now open to the public, but Hots cautioned it is still dangerous. “They call it a highway but there is a large section of that highway that is essentially a one-lane gravel road,” he said.

There is also no cell phone coverage above Granite Falls.

If anyone has any information about someone who is missing, please call the sheriff’s tip line at 425-388-3845.