Floods and landslides in Indonesia have killed at least 20 people, with fears that more victims will be found in the rubble.

Jakarta – Rescue workers in western Indonesia used heavy machinery on Tuesday to dig out weekend floods and landslides that killed at least 20 people, the national disaster agency said. In North Sumatra, five bodies of people listed as missing were pulled out from under a mountain of mud and debris, said the agency’s spokesperson Abdul Muhari in a statement.

“All the victims were found dead,” he said on Tuesday, adding that a total of 10 people died when Karo village collapsed.

Since Saturday, heavy rain has hit four districts in northern Sumatra, causing dangerous floods and landslides.

Juspri Nadeak, disaster officer in the worst-hit Karo region, said the recovery of victims who have not been reported to the authorities as missing is still possible.

“The collapsed area makes it easy to access the hot springs, so it’s possible that tourists were hit by it,” he told AFP on Tuesday. “We are still clearing mud and debris from the landslide while we expect more victims to be found.”

In a village in the Deli Serdang district, where four people were found dead and two others missing, piles of mud, logs and rocks were scattered in the village where there was a rescue operation.

“The electricity was cut off and there were no mobile phones to receive people, making it difficult for us rescuers to communicate,” said Iman Sitorus, a spokesperson for the local rescue unit, told AFP.

The authorities have also deployed large equipment to clean up the debris, he said.

The death toll rose to 20 on Tuesday following the discovery of five bodies in Karo district. Other victims were found in the districts of South Tapanuli, Padang Lawas and Deli Serdang.

Indonesia has experienced a series of extreme weather events, which experts say are making them more likely, worse and less predictable. climate change.

In May, at least 67 people died after a mixture of ash, sand and rocks from the Mount Marapi eruption in West Sumatra washed into residential areas. causing floods.

Human-caused climate change has doubled the likelihood of severe storms like the one that hit Indonesia this week, and the one that washed away roads in the eastern region of Spain. Valencia on the rivers that feed earlier this month, according to a partial analysis released on Oct. 31 is the World Weather Attribution group, made up of a number of international scientists who conduct research. the role of global warming in extreme weather.