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Jakarta. Still battling high waves and strong winds, rescuers on Thursday managed to locate 20 survivors of last week’s devastating tsunami in the Mentawai Islands off West Sumatra, bringing the number of missing down to 55.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the death toll from the disaster has been revised down from 431 to 427.

More than 15,000 survivors are now living in temporary shelters.

The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) said the majority of those rescued on Thursday were from the southern tip of Sipora and South Pagai islands, which had been rendered inaccessible by waves up to five meters high.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a director at the BNPB, said it would continue looking for those still missing until Wednesday, when it would consider calling off the search.

“Some of the victims feared dead by their families were actually alive,” he said. “Some survived because they were out in boats, while others were stranded in other villages.”

Ade Edward, operational head for West Sumatra’s Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), said his office was focusing on locating survivors believed to have sought refuge in the hills.

“However, the weather is making it difficult for us to launch a rescue mission,” he said.

The earthquake and ensuing tsunami destroyed about 500 homes and damaged at least 200 others.

Two tourist resorts were devastated and a pleasure boat caught fire.

Officials have conceded that only a fraction of the relief supplies have been distributed to survivors, citing bad weather and a lack of boats and helicopters.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that waves up to three meters high will continue to pound the Mentawais until the end of the month, while storm activity is expected to bring strong winds in from the Indian Ocean.

Only a handful of people have been evacuated by air or sea to hospitals in Padang, West Sumatra’s capital, while most of the 270 people severely injured in the disaster are now being treated in makeshift health clinics as medical supplies run out.

Julie Purna Dewi, a 28-year-old schoolteacher from Bertolau village in Sipora, said she needed to be taken to the mainland for urgent treatment, but deteriorating weather conditions had made it impossible for her to go by boat or to the nearest functioning airstrip.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih has warned of the potential for outbreaks of malaria and diarrhea among the thousands of people left homeless by the disaster.

She said her ministry was spraying disinfectant in and around evacuation camps to help combat the spread of diseases.

The ministry has also distributed antimalarial drugs to 231 volunteer aid workers who have been sent to the islands.