Death toll in Washington state mudslide rises to 30

DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - The death toll in a Washington state mudslide that wiped out a rural community last month rose to 30 on Thursday as one more body was extricated from a pile of muck and debris, the Snohomish County medical examiner's office said. A rain-soaked hillside collapsed without warning above the north fork of Stillaguamish River on March 22, unleashing a torrent of mud that roared over the river banks and across state Highway 530, engulfing some three dozen homes on the outskirts of the tiny town of Oso. At least 13 people remained listed as missing as of Wednesday evening, and no change was reported to that list on Thursday morning. The medical examiner's office said in a statement that of the 30 people now confirmed dead, 27 had been positively identified. Among the newly identified were a 13-year-old boy and a 67-year-old woman. (Writing by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Gunna Dickson)