Last Updated Mar 31, 2014 10:00 PM EDT
DARRINGTON, Wash. -- Authorities said Monday they now believe 22 people remain missing in the aftermath of a massive mudslide that covered a northwestern Washington town with muck and debris, killing at least 24 people.
The number of missing dropped from the 30 people authorities had said were not accounted for.
The Snohomish County medical examiner's office said Monday that it has positively identified 18 of the 24 victims in the official death toll.
As crews sifted through the mud and remains of homes, Snohomish County Executive Director Gary Haakenson said the remains of three additional victims were found Monday, but they have not yet been included in the medical examiner's official numbers.
Steve Harris, a division supervisor for the search effort, said search teams are learning more about the force of the March 22 slide, and that is helping them better locate victims in a debris field that is 70 feet deep in places.
"There's a tremendous amount of force and energy behind this," Harris said of the slide. He didn't provide further details.
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Face The Nation
Washington governor "hoping for a miracle" after mudslide
Gov. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., vows to "exhaust every possible avenue" in the search for survivors of the mudslide in his state.
Harris said search dogs are the primary tool for finding remains in the small, mountainside community about 55 miles northeast of Seattle. He said searchers are finding human remains four to six times per day.
"It's very difficult to make identifications in some of the finds," he said.
A makeshift road completed over the weekend links one side of the 300-acre debris field to the other.
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Washington mudslide victims
The dead and missing from the devastating mudslide in Washington state
Searchers have had to contend with treacherous conditions, including household chemicals, septic tanks, gasoline and propane containers. When rescuers and dogs leave the site, they are hosed off by hazardous materials crews.
Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday asked President Barack Obama for a major disaster declaration in Snohomish County to make programs available to help individuals, households and businesses.
Last week, a federal emergency declaration was approved that provided a federal disaster team and specialized personnel to the slide area.
Also Monday, members of the Seattle Seahawks football team and Seattle Sounders soccer team were scheduled to visit with community members in the evening.
On Sunday, Inslee said rescue workers looking for victims are hoping for a miracle at this point in the rescue process but will continue to look for survivors as long as there is hope.
"Look, we are hoping for a miracle. And more importantly, we are working for a miracle. And we're doing everything humanly possible if that opportunity exists," Inslee said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "These searchers, both professionals and volunteer, are really performing Herculean tasks right now. They're working beyond the point of exhaustion. And we intend to exhaust every possible avenue to look for that miracle."
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