the driver was 22-year-old man named hernan reyes aguirre. >>> death toll from the california mud slides have risen to 17. part of highway 101, a crucial link between ventura and santa barbara was overwhelmed by mud and debris. it will be closed until at least monday. the share. said three people were hurt. among miss are gone sisters. 12-year-old sawyer and 25-year-old morgan. another sister and their mother are being treated at the hospital. 500 first responders are work to dig out the affected areas and the search for those who are missing. >> here's what the damage looks like if above. homes ripped apart. entire streets buried as rain poured in, causing powerful mud slides in far scarred areas. >> i didn't think would it ever turn into something like this. we've never seen anything like this before. >> search and rescue crews and dogs are going through affected areas, looking for anyone who may still be trapped. several people are still reported missing including this woman's friend. >> they can't find her. her boyfriend got swept away and watched her holding on to the front door. >>

hernán reyes aguirre de 22 años fue impactado por el deslave de tierra, que lo dejó sepultado en un barranco luis, sobreviviente "i just remember watching the whole thing thinking please drive faster. i was hoping he could keep up with me because we were so close behind each other" "pensé, por favor, acelera.taylor esperaba que él también lograra escapar, porque estábamos muy cerca uno del otro". hoy la novia de la víctima llegó al lugar donde hernán perdió la vida. maría casillas, novia de la "he was always from work to his house or with me or his family. he was a family person a hard working guy" maría describe a hernán como una persona muy familiar y trabajador, sino estaba trabajando, estaba con ella o con su familia. "my heart breaks for that family, i didn't know the person, but that's all i can think about." taylor dice que le rompe el corazón el dolor que está sufriendo la familia de hernán, a quien no conocía, pero en quien no puede dejar de pensar. yunaisy garcía, noticiero t48. --- autoridades en el condado de santa brbara han desplazado a ms de 600 rescatistas..... para localizar

he was 22-year-old hernan reyes aguirre of fairfield. as ktvu's rob roth tells us, the accident happened in the area devastated by the atlas fire last fall but investigators are not sure if the fire was a factor in the slide.>> reporter: in this setting a somber scene was playing out. tow truck operators descended about 100 feet to recover the toyota avalon with the driver still seatbelted in but dead. the male driver was caught in a large landslide about 5:00 tuesday evening. it happened on highway 121 in east napa county. >> got a witness calling in and notify us that the collision happened. >> reporter: authorities say a boulder from a landslide loosened by the storm came barreling down some 600 feet on the road slamming into the toyota and sending it down the embankment. authorities found the car and the body of the driver a short time later, but the hillside was too unstable for a recovery operation. >> there was somebody to rescue, we would have --if there was somebody to rescue, we would have continued our efforts but we have to b