Officials previously set the number of missing people at 90, but they had said they expected that figure to drop dramatically as they worked to find people and cross-referenced a list that included partial reports and duplicates.
The confirmed death toll has risen to 18, Jason Biermann, program manager at the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management, said yesterday evening. The massive landslide struck the small community of Oso north of Seattle on March 22.