Floods followed by landslides over the weekend in Sumatra, Indonesia, have killed at least 20 people, according to the latest toll released today by the national disaster management agency (BNPB).

Flash floods and landslides hit four districts of North Sumatra province.

As of last night, “rescuers managed to retrieve 10 people who had been buried in Karo district, North Sumatra. All the victims were found dead,” said Abdul Muhari, BNPB spokesman, in a press release from the agency.

Yesterday the same source spoke of 15 dead and seven missing.

They are constantly pulling bodies out of the mud

After the discovery of another five bodies, including two in Karo district – which suffered the worst blow -, the death toll now stands at twenty dead and two missing, said Mr. A fly.

The other three bodies were found in the districts of Deli Serdag, South Tapanuli and Padang Lawas.

In the Karo region, rescue crews do not rule out the possibility that there are more missing people without their disappearance being reported, said the head of the local branch of the agency. Juspri Nandea explained to AFP that in the area where the landslides took place there is access to hot water sources that are considered therapeutic, therefore “it is possible that tourists were affected».

“We continue to clear the mud and debris” expecting the possibility “of finding more victims”, he added.

In a village in Delhi’s Serdag district, where four people were found dead and two are still missing, tree trunks and rocks were visible in the thick mud as a search and rescue operation continued.

“The electricity has been cut and mobile phones have no signal, making it difficult to communicate with rescuers,” said Iman Sitoros, a spokesman for a local search and rescue agency.

Landslides are common in Indonesia’s vast archipelago during the rainy season (November-April) and the problem is exacerbated in places by deforestation.

Indonesia is also a country where many volcanoes remain active. In May, at least 67 people died when flash floods and landslides of cold lava from Mount Marapi on the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia hit residential areas.