Mudslide drops house onto Washington highway, injuring at least five

By Paresh Dave

March 22, 2014 1:49 PM PT

A mudslide north of Seattle carried a house onto a highway Saturday morning, injuring at least five people and leaving an unknown number unaccounted for.

The injuries were not life-threatening, Snohomish County sheriff’s Lt. Rodney Rochon told the Los Angeles Times.

He said the mudslide was likely tied to an overflowing Stillaguamish River in Oso, Wash., an hour-drive north of Seattle. Photos taken by an individual at the scene and posted on social media show total blockage of the two-lane State Route 530 by the splintered remains of the home.

Emergency responders from fire departments and law enforcement agencies across the region had arrived on the scene to search for additional victims and clear debris, Rochon said.

The mudslide was estimated to be about 1 mile long, Washingston State Police spokesman Mark Francis said on Twitter. Traffic was being stopped at Whitman Road, on the west side of the slide.

The National Weather Service had warned last week of possible minor flooding of the Stillaguamish, which runs alongside State Route 530 in the area. Debris in the river had created dam, allowing water to back up and creating potential for flooding.

Saturday’s forecast called for a slight chance of showers with overcast conditions shrouding some of the snow-covered mountains in the area.