Mud cleanup keeps Central California-to-Las Vegas highway closed

A popular highway that links Las Vegas and Central California remained closed Saturday night after a mudslide stranded nearly 200 vehicles in the small mountain town of Tehachapi on Thursday night, authorities said.

Crews were working on cleaning up mud from the mile-stretch of California state Route 58 , Kern County Sheriff's Office Commander Russ Albro said. The road is about 300 miles southwest of Las Vegas.

Kern County has been dry the past 24 to 30 hours, Albro said Saturday morning.

Cleanup and search-and-rescue crews worked Saturday and the road was still closed as of 7:30 p.m., Albro said. He didn't have an estimate for when the road would be cleared.

The mud, 4 to 5 feet deep in some areas, shut down east and west lanes, authorities said.

About 115 vehicles and 75 tractor-trailers were trapped after Thursday's storms, authorities said. About 300 people were moved to shelters.

Interstate 5, the main route between Los Angeles and Bakersfield that was also closed because of flooding, reopened Friday night.

Review-Journal writer Kimber Laux contributed to this report. Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites