1st LD: At least 5 people die in winter storm in California

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least five people have died in a winter storm that led to mudslides in Santa Barbara County in the U.S. state of California, authorities said Tuesday.

Five people had died in the Montecito area, northwest of Los Angeles, as of Tuesday morning, said Mike Eliason, a public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

"The number could be changed," Eliason told Xinhua via phone.

Strong winter storm hammered Southern California on the U.S. West Coast with heavy rain, triggering deadly mud flows.

Several homes have been wiped away by mud flows near the coastal community of Montecito, where recent devastating wildfires left charred hillsides without vegetation cover to hold the downpour. Enditem