3 people killed, 21 injured in Californian mudslide

At least three people were killed, 12 were injured and up to 21 were missing after Monday's slide, triggered by the latest in the wave of powerful storms that have saturated Southern California terrain, US.

Such a disaster had long ago been predicted for the community tucked between Highway 101 and a towering coastal bluff. Years ago, the cliff was determined to be creeping toward the Pacific Ocean, and dozens moved out after a 1995 slide destroyed nine homes and real estate values plunged.

Huge floodlights lit up the mounds of debris overnight as crews in bright yellow and orange uniforms monitored cameras and listening devices they had dropped into gaps in the soil.

Fire officials, told that children were among the missing, advised them to "look for small hands and small fingers," Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Joe Luna said.

Dozens of firefighters armed with shovels and other tools searched the mounds of debris early Tuesday but had not found any new survivors or bodies by daybreak. Firefighters also watched the scarred hillside carefully for signs of additional slippage.

On Monday, stunned survivors made their way from the area clutching pets, luggage or clothing.

A camera crew out reporting on storm-caused highway closures captured the disaster on tape as it happened. The hillside cascaded down like a brown river while authorities were evacuating about 200 residents from near the unstable area. Trees and vegetation were carried away, leaving huge gashes of raw earth on the bluff. Fifteen homes were destroyed in a four-block area.

By People's Daily Online