Eight dead California

*Eight dead California heavy rains 🌧 and mudslides*

At least eight people are dead amid mudslides in Southern California, where heavy rains triggered flooding and massive run-off, US media report.

"Waist-deep" mudslides in areas scorched by wildfires last month shut down more than 30 miles (48km) of the main coastal highway, officials say.

A source at the Santa Barbara Sheriff's office tells BBC News that the death toll is expected to climb.

At least 25 people were injured and thousands fled amid the deluge.

More than 50 rescues have so far been performed.

The hardest hit homes were those that were not in the evacuation zone, official say.

Heavy rain run-off caused waist-deep mudflow in the Montecito, where some homes were knocked from their foundations, said Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason.

Boulders the size of small cars were rolling down hillsides, and blocking roads, reports BBC News Los Angeles correspondent James Cook.

Among those taken to safety was a 14-year-old girl who had been trapped for hours in the ruins of her home.

The fire department published a picture of the girl encased in mud as she was led to safety.