Nine days after a landslide destroyed the rural community of Oso in Washington, rescue teams continue to search for survivors in the 1.6 square kilometers along state route 530 which were affected.
Besides the devastating landscape in which 90 people are still missing, rescue teams, who continue to search among unstable areas where mud reaches up to their chests, face a new challenge: a toxic combination of gases.
According to a report published by Reuters, septic tanks, gasoline, propane gas, solvents and other domestic-use chemicals are found under the mud and rubble covering most of Oso, northeast of Seattle, an area which was devastated last March 22 by a landslide which buried various houses.
Owing to these conditions, made even worse by rain, authorities in charge of search and rescue operations have taken special measures to protect the rescue teams who have been exposed to chemicals.
"We're worried about dysentery, tetanus and pollution. The last thing we want to do is take one of these contaminants and take them back to the city, back to our families," said Lt. Richard Burke, spokesman for the operation, quoted by Reuters.
And as if this wasn't enough, the continuous rains over the weekend have made water levels rise to 30 cm, which makes it practically impossible for rescue teams to access certain areas which have been covered by water, according to CBS News.
Last Friday, Washington authorities reduced the number of missing people to 90, while the number of victims has increased to 21. As the days pass, authorities and rescue teams have acknowledged that the chances of finding people alive or even rescuing bodies have been reduced considerably.
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