Eight killed, 18 missing in massive US landslide

SAN FRANCISCO, Mar 24 (AFP): At least eight people were killed and up to 18 were believed missing when a massive landslide slammed "like a freight train" into a mountainside community in the northwestern United States, officials said late Sunday.
The wall of mud, rocks and trees smashed into the rural town of Oso, northeast of Seattle, on Saturday, destroying houses and part of a highway.
Travis Hots, chief of the regional Snohomish County Fire districts, announced at an area community meeting late on Sunday that the death toll had risen to eight.
"I'm saddened to inform you that we have assured four additional fatalities" to the four deaths confirmed earlier, Hots told reporters.
The field of rubble is about 2.4 kilometes (1.5 miles) across and some four to six (15-20 feet) deep in areas, The Seattle Times reported.
Rescuers reported hearing voices calling for help on Saturday, but Hots told reporters that they "didn't see or hear any signs of life" on Sunday.
Snohomish County spokeswoman Shari Ireton told AFP: "We are able to confirm we know that 18 people who may have been in the area are unaccounted for. We do not have identification for those people that we are releasing at this time."