MONTECITO, Calif. (AP) — Hundreds of searchers are still hunting for survivors of the flash flooding and mudslides near Santa Barbara, California.
They slogged through ooze and poked long holes into the mud on Wednesday as they searched for victims a day after the massive debris flow passed through.
The death toll from Tuesday’s pre-dawn flash flood rose to 17 as more bodies were found. Another 17 were still reported missing.
Authorities are hoped to find them alive.
By Wednesday, some 500 searchers had covered about 75 percent of the inundated area in the search for victims.