The slide occurred on a slope with an irrigation canal at the top. Once the initial failure occurred, a rush of water from the compromised canal worsened the situation. There are reports that the condition of the canal was poor and it may have been leaking. But the area has had very heavy rainfall as well. Some of the photos from the Deseret News article are very illustrative of the destructive power of the slide.
Landslide Location
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Speculation on Causes of Failure
[Editor] Had trouble embeding the video. [/Editor] The following video describes some preliminary speculation about the failure. There seems to be agreement that water was a major driving force. The question is whether it came from springs in the area, the leaking canal, or even sprinklers from a nearby college campus.
Recovery Efforts
[Editor] Again, had trouble embeding the video and too tired to bother with it. [/Editor] This video describes a little more about the efforts to uncover the bodies of the three people presumed buried by the landslide.
