Death toll climbs to 30 in Washington mudslide

The official death toll from Washington state's March 22 mudslide increased to 30 Thursday, with the Snohomish County medical examiner's office saying 27 victims have been positively identified, up from 27 dead with 19 identified Tuesday morning.

Workers are trying to improve the flow of the Stillaguamish River through the landslide at Oso to reduce flooding as they continue the grim task of recovering bodies.

Aiming to brighten spirits in a community devastated by death and destruction, a dozen Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders FC athletes visited the community this week.

More than 300 people gathered in a community center in a nearby town Monday. Players tossed footballs and Sounders forward Kenny Cooper played soccer with the kids.

Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith signed autographs and posed for photos. He said players hoped to offer a distraction from the tragedy.

One child, 10-year-old Jacob Spelman, wore an autographed bright green hat commemorating the Seahawks' Super Bowl victory this year. He said he felt like the players cared, and that they would like it if community members felt better.

In the Oso mudslide, a rain-soaked hillside collapsed over a swath of land, a roadway and a river about 55 miles north of Seattle.

The disaster ranks as one of the deadliest U.S. landslides in modern history. A landslide in Ponce, Puerto Rico killed 129 in 1985; more recently, 10 people died when falling earth engulfed homes in the coastal community of La Conchita, Calif., in 2005.

Compounding a high death toll, estimated financial losses from the mudslide have reached $10 million, Gov. Jay Inslee said Monday in a letter asking the federal government for a major disaster declaration.

Al Jazeera and wire services