Death toll rises to 39 in Washington mudslide

The death toll from the mudslide that hit the Washington town of Oso has risen to 39.

The Snohomish County sheriff’s office still lists seven people as missing from the March 22 landslide that buried some 30 homes in the community about 55 miles northeast of Seattle.

Recovery workers with dogs are probing the debris, and the state Transportation Department is making plans to clear a mile-long stretch of Highway 530 that is covered with mud and trees up to 25 feet deep, the Associated Press reports.