By The Associated Press
ARLINGTON — Three weeks after the deadly Oso mudslide, the State Patrol wants drivers to know the slide area is “not a tourist attraction.”
Trooper Keith Leary says only rescuers and emergency vehicles are allowed past the closure points along Washington Highway 530 on the west and east ends of the slide area. Those closure points are staffed by troopers who will turn back any drivers or pedestrians without proper credentials.
Leary says the patrol has gotten numerous inquiries from people outside the area contacting the closure points in quest of a look at the slide or a spot to photograph it.
The slide is not visible from the closure points. And Leary notes the area “remains sensitive for those who have lost loved ones” or have relatives still on the missing list.
As of Friday, 36 victims of the March 22 slide have been recovered and identified while seven people remain on a missing list.
