LIMA, Feb 10 — Peruvian authorities on Thursday updated the death toll from devastating mudslides in the country’s south over the weekend to 16, with 27 people injured and 20 still missing.

In total, more than 12,000 people suffered some form of damage in the disaster that affected Peru’s Arequipa region, according to the regional government.

Mudslides hit Arequipa’s Camana province on Sunday after heavy rains, destroying homes, roads, schools and a medical center.

A four-year-old boy was among the dead, said officials as they updated the toll from 15.

The affected area is home to numerous artisanal mines, and officials fear some people may have been trapped in makeshift mines. — AFP