Landslides in Indonesia's Sumatra kill at least 27

Torrential rain in the province since last week had caused flash floods and landslides in four different districts on Monday, the national disaster agency said.

Mud, rocks and trees tumbled down a mountain after the rains, tearing through four hilly districts in North Sumatra province, washing away houses and destroying farms.

Police, soldiers and rescue workers used excavators, farm equipment and their bare hands to sift through the rubble looking for the dead and missing on Tuesday and that search is ongoing.

Juspri Nadeak, disaster chief in hardest-hit Karo district, said the discovery of victims not yet reported missing to authorities remained a possibility.

"The landslide area provides access to hot springs, so there's a possibility that tourists were hit by it," he told AFP Tuesday.