Heavy rains killed 124 people in El Salvador and went on to cause flooding and mudslides, leaving communities buried and people struggling for survival.

The heavy rains were not related to hurricane Ida. According to Robby Berg of the National Hurricane Center, a low-pressure system out of the Pacific caused it.

President Mauricio Funes declared a national emergency as their country suffers “incalculable loss.” Officials said about 7,000 people lost homes on Sunday.

According to authorities, the death toll is expected to rise as rescuers tried to reach regions where roads were washed away. The residents tried to climb boulders to save themselves while rescuers waded through murky flood water.

The capital San Salvador was among the hardest-hit areas. Laura Mata of World Vision said roads were completely gone.

“You would never imagine there were road systems there … huge rocks, mud, water everywhere,” she said. “People have lost complete families.”

Mata also adds that in Verapaz, landslides on the side of a volcano swallowed up a village.

(via CNN)