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US-WEATHER-MUDSLIDE
Death toll from California mudslides now 18: official
LOS ANGELES, Jan 13, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Authorities in southern California
said Friday they had discovered the body of an elderly man killed by
mudslides that battered the region earlier this week, lifting the overall
death toll to 18.
The 87-year-old man was “located by a search and rescue team in his
residence,” said Bill Brown, the sheriff of Santa Barbara county.
Rescuers are continuing their search operations, with the missing now
believed to number six, including a two-year-old girl.
Heavy rain on Tuesday, which followed 10 months of drought, sent sticky
mud and debris flowing from the hills into Montecito.
In addition to the dead and injured, 65 houses have been destroyed while
another 462 sustained damage.
Terrifying wildfires forced people to evacuate in December, and the
mudslides struck just two weeks after they returned.
The fires burned most vegetation, leaving perfect conditions for the
latest disaster to unfold.
BSS/AFP/MRI/0950 hrs