Search teams were digging at the site of deadly landslides in southern Ethiopia as the death toll rose to 257, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The first landslide in Gofa Zone was triggered by heavy rains on Sunday and Monday, and the second engulfed those who had gathered to rescue people.

OCHA said the death toll could rise to as many as 500 and more than 15,000 affected people need to be evacuated from the area.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is expected to visit the remote area on Friday.

Images from the site showed residents standing over bodies wrapped in shrouds as more victims were pulled from the muddy earth. Many people were using hand shovels and even their bare hands.

Landslides are common during Ethiopia’s rainy reason, which started in July and is expected to last until mid-September.