Survivors of a mudslide in the US state of Washington say they favour turning the area into a shrine to honour those who perished.
Dozens died and the search is continuing for many more whose bodies remain missing in the vast area destroyed in the mudslide northeast of Seattle.
The torrent of mud released by the slide flattened more than two dozen homes on the outskirts of the town of Oso in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.
The official death toll rose to 24 yesterday, including a four-month-old infant and two children aged five and six.
Eighteen have been identified by the medical examiner's office.
Authorities said the number of people still listed as missing had been cut to 22 from 30.
For 11 days, rescue teams have been searching to find victims.
The landslide was triggered when a rain-soaked hillside collapsed above the north fork of the Stillaguamish River.
Search crews assisted by dogs have been retrieving remains four to six times a day on the eastern half of the debris pile, recovery team supervisor Steve Harris said.
But authorities say that accounting for the number of dead has been complicated by the fact that the bodies are not always found intact.
No one has been pulled out alive and no signs of life have been detected since the day of the slide, when eight people were injured but survived.
Officials acknowledge that some victims might end up being entombed under the mound of muck and debris covering about 1.3sq.km.
Scores of recovery workers picked through the mud yesterday under sunny skies, a respite from heavy rains of last week.
Forecasts for the week ahead showed a continued drying trend, "which will help crews and reduce the risk of flooding and additional slides," the county said in a statement.
About a third of the site remains buried beneath up to 24 metres of mud, twisted tree trunks and wreckage, making it too unstable to safely enter.
