Search Suspended for Men Missing in Colo. Mudslide

Colorado officials have called off search efforts for three men who went missing after Sunday's Mesa County mudslide.

Mesa County Sheriff Stan Hilkey said the search was suspended Tuesday afternoon because of unsafe conditions.

Clancy Nichols, 51, a county road and bridge employee, his son Danny, 24, and Wes Hawkins, 46, have been missing since Sunday after a mountain ridge collapsed.

Still, residents in the area refused to give up hope.

"Well, we're praying, everybody on this mountain is praying for a miracle right now," Sheriff Hilkey said.

"And we hope that, you know, that they may be stranded somewhere or in such a way that they avoided it," he continued. "But right now they have not been heard from. We've flown the area and haven't seen anything form the air." 

Recent rain saturated a mountain ridge, causing it to collapse and sending mud rushing down a three-mile-long path. Deep mud is hindering the search efforts, reaching 100 feet deep in some areas.

The area of the slide is relatively remote, so no structures or roads were destroyed. The three missing men were in the area estimating damages from a previous, smaller mudslide.