An aerial photo shows a chunk of earth missing from the hill facing the Stillaguamish River where a landslide swept away homes and people on Saturday.  The death toll from a massive landslide in Washington State climbed to eight on Sunday night as rescuers carefully searched areas covered by a thick mud that acted like quicksand.  Officials said at least a dozen people were still missing following the disaster, which devastated a riverside neighborhood in Arlington on Saturday morning. The mudslide measured a square-mile and destroyed up to 30 homes in the northwest Washington town.  Chief Travis Hots of the Snohomish County Fire District 21 said the search for survivors was frustrating as rescuers had to be cautious as they combed through the mud and debris.  In some areas, the mud was as deep as 15 feet.  Robin Youngblood holds a painting of a Cherokee warrior — the only possession that survived the landslide. It was knocked from the wall of her home next to the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River.  “We have this huge square-mile mudflow that’s basically like quicksand,” Hots said.  Three people were confirmed dead as of Saturday. Five bodies were found on Sunday, at least one of them buried in mud.  “We didn’t see or hear any signs of life out there today,” Hots said on Sunday evening.  On Saturday, rescuers could hear people screaming but could not get to them due to the threat of quicksand.  Hots said crews remained in “search-and-rescue mode” and were hopeful they’d find survivors buried in the muck. “It has not gone to a recovery mode at this time,” Hots said.  The landslide struck without warning on Saturday morning following heavy rain in the area. Officials described the catastrophe as “a big wall of mud and debris” that blocked state Route 530, about 55 miles north of Seattle, and dammed up the the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River.  An aerial view shows the Stillaguamish River snaking through the land until it reaches the landslide that tore of chunk of land from a hillside and sent it crashing into homes and the river.  The rescue mission was halted as darkness set in on Sunday because conditions were deemed too dangerous.  Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who flew over the disaster area Sunday, declared a state of emergency.  “People have seen pictures, of course, but it is 10 times more devastating when you see it yourself,” Inslee said.  He said everything within the path of the mud slide was leveled.  “The devastation is just unrelenting and awesome,” Inslee said. “There really is no stick standing in the path of the slide. And it is a reminder that we live among the powerful forces of nature.”  At least eight people were injured in the slide, including a 6-month-old boy and an 81-year-old man, both of whom were in critical condition Sunday at a Seattle hospital.  The fatal mudslide brought debris down the Stillaguamish River near Oso, Wash., Saturday morning, stopping the flow of the river and destroying several homes.  Two men, ages 37 and 58, were in serious condition, while a 25-year-old woman was upgraded to satisfactory condition, an official said.  Bruce Blacker, who lives west of the mud slide area, said he was worried about six of his neighbors who were still missing.  “It’s a very close-knit community,” Blacker said.  A general view of the area affected by a landslide near State Route 530 is seen in this Washington State Department of Transportation handout picture taken near Oso, Washington March 22, 2014. Three people died and at least eight others were injured on Saturday in a landslide that destroyed six or more homes along a state highway in northwest Washington state, officials said. Picture taken March 22, 2014. REUTERS/Washington State Department of Transportation/Handout via Reuters (UNITED STATES - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS  The muslide was at least 135 feet wide and 180 feet deep.  The mudslide was at least 135 feet wide and 180 feet deep. Much of the land has swept into the Stillaguamish River.  Dane Williams, 30, who lives near the mud slide, said he was evacuated from his house and spent Saturday night at a Red Cross shelter set up at a local school.  He said people in the shelter were “pretty distraught” and many didn’t know the fate of their loved ones.  “It makes me want to cry,” Williams said.
After hearing voices pleading for help, rescuers were “combing through the debris” in an overnight search for survivors from a massive mudslide in Washington state that killed at least four people and forced evacuations because of fears of severe flooding.