Mud Slide Blocks Highway 12
RANDLE - A landslide covered the main road from Western Washington to White Pass, slightly injuring two people when vehicles were caught in the debris, authorities said.
The heap of mud, rocks and trees fell on U.S. 12 just west of Randle about 6 p.m. yesterday. It was still unstable early today and officials would not try to begin clearing it until engineers could assess the situation at daylight, said Sgt. Mike Copenhefer of the Lewis County sheriff's office.
Copenhefer estimated the slide at 40 to 60 feet deep and 150 feet wide. It originated at a point about 300 feet above the roadway, he said.
A small sedan and a truck pulling a horse trailer collided with debris, Copenhefer said. Two of the three people in the vehicles suffered minor injuries.
Randle is southwest of Mount Rainier National Park and about 75 miles southeast of Seattle.