Gorontalo. Rescue workers on Tuesday pulled nine more bodies from the debris left by a landslide that swept through a gold mine area in Gorontalo two days earlier, bringing the overall death toll to 20.

Authorities warned that the number of casualties could be much higher as over 50 residents in the area remain unaccounted for.

The landslide, triggered by torrential rains overnight, hit makeshift shelters around the mine and buried tunnels in East Suwawa District, Bone Bolango Regency, on Sulawesi Island just before dawn on Sunday.

Search operations were paused on Monday evening due to heavy rain, which posed the risk of another landslide.

The mining area is inaccessible by motor vehicles, and it took nine hours for rescue workers to reach the scene on foot, said Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

Reports indicated that many miners were sleeping in the tunnels when the landslide struck at around 3 a.m.

Add as a preferred source on Google +