AERIAL VIEW OF THE DESTRUCTION Buried houses, missing people.
  • WSDOT
  • AERIAL VIEW OF PART OF THE LANDSLIDE'S DESTRUCTION Buried houses, missing people.

THE HILLSIDE THAT GAVE WAY IN SNOHOMISH COUNTY Causing the fatal landslide.
  • WSDOT
  • THE HILLSIDE NEAR ARLINGTON THAT GAVE WAY Causing the landslide.

Death Toll Rises to Eight in the Landslide Near Arlington, Wash.: "Searchers found five more bodies Sunday in the tangled sludge of a massive landslide in rural Washington state, bringing the death toll to at least eight from the wall of debris that swept through a small riverside neighborhood."

The Complicated Rescue Effort: The New York Times reports that "the rescue effort quickly also became a scene of havoc, with some emergency workers sinking up to their armpits in the slurry-like mud and requiring rescue themselves as they were pulled out with ropes."

A Bunch of People Are Still Missing, Including This Guy's Son: "His 47-year-old son lived with him right on the river bank in the path of the slide, and Miller says not only does he believe his son is gone, he says it was only a fluke that he wasn't a victim as well."

Photos of Destroyed Property: Eric Jensen of KOMO has a bunch of photos of the destruction on Twitter, including this road with houses in the middle of it and ripped-apart houses with spray paint on them. "The spray-painted mark means rescue crews have checked the house."

Video of the Damage by King County Sheriff Air Support: Can be found right here.

Recent Saturation of Rain Likely Built Up to Mudslide: So says this Q13 headline. This has been the sixth wettest March in Arlington since 1922. In Seattle, we're having our third wettest March of all time. (Don't let the sunshine yesterday or today fool you; it's about to get gross again.)

In Missing Boeing 777 News, Today the Prime Minister Says Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 "Ended in the Southern Indian Ocean" This statement is based on satellite data and "a type of analysis never before used." Has the prime minister found the plane? No. Have the Malaysian authorities gotten information wrong before? Yes. Am I convinced? Absolutely not. But the families of the missing passengers have been informed of the prime minister's statement. And Malaysia Airlines is backing him up, saying "we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived."

Meanwhile, China Thinks They Saw a White, Square-Shaped Object: That could be... you know... something...

How Do You Solve a Problem Named Putin? Who knows.

O'Hare Airport Train Car Derailment: "An eight-car Chicago commuter train plowed across a platform and scaled an escalator at an underground station at one of the nation's busiest airports early Monday, injuring 32 people on board, officials said." It happened at 2:50 am, so no one was on that escalator when the train car plowed into it.

In Lighter News... On This Day in 1958, Elvis Was Drafted into the Army: Maybe that's why Jinkx Monsoon had Bye Bye Birdie stuck in her head yesterday.

Speaking of Jinkx Monsoon: As American history buffs know, she shot to the front of the pack on RuPaul's Drag Race last year with her impersonation of Little Edie from Grey Gardens on Snatch Game (RuPaul's spoof of the classic TV show Match Game). According to Wikipedia, season six's queens are playing Snatch Game tonight, and Seattle's not-old, not-British BenDeLaCreme will be playing Maggie Smith. Oh my God I can't wait.

Does the Internet Have Any Animated Gifs of BenDeLaCreme as Maggie Smith? Oh look, the internet does. I love you, the internet.