California mudslides leave at least 15 dead

  • Video report by ITV News Washington Correspondent Robert Moore

Deadly mudslides triggered by flash flooding in southern California have killed at least 15 people and left a scene resembling "a World War One battlefield".

Mud, boulders and tons of debris plummeted down hills already ravaged by December's wildfires and on to communities, sweeping away cars, destroying homes and blocking major roads.

Santa Barbara County spokeswoman Yaneris Muniz confirmed the death toll at 15 on Wednesday with at least 25 injured, four critically, and at least 50 having to be rescued by helicopters.

Around 300 people are said to be stranded in Romero Canyon neighbourhood east of Santa Barbara.

Rescue workers are frantically searching for survivors and trying to reach new areas but local officials have warned that death toll is expected to rise.

“The best way I can describe it is, it looked like a World War One battlefield,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said.

A mud-caked 14-year-old girl was among the dozens rescued on Tuesday.

As she was pulled from a collapsed home where she had been trapped for hours, she told reporters: "I thought I was dead for a minute there."

The threat of heavy rain and mudslides prompted authorities to order thousands of residents to evacuate their homes in areas of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

The mudslides, which struck in the middle of the night, swept through the evacuation zones.

Areas of Santa Barbara were pounded with more than a half-inch of rain in five minutes early on Tuesday.

A car and debris smashed against a tree along Hot Springs Road in Montecito, California. Credit: AP
Cesar Limon of the Montecito Water Dristrict surveys the area of Montecito Creek. Credit: PA

Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey are among the celebrities who own homes in the upscale community of Montecito which was severely hit.

Ms DeGeneres posted a picture of the major Highway 101 which is now inaccessible.

Ms Winfrey, who has dominated the headlines following a rousing speech at the Golden Globes, said she posted pictures of the mud in her back garden and a video of a helicopter that had been rescuing her neighbours.

Last month’s wildfires - the largest in California history - left the area susceptible to mudslides.

The fires burned away grass and shrubs that keep the soil in place.