Eight people died and 17 remained missing as of 3 pm on Thursday after a landslide hit a village in Guizhou province.
The landslide struck Yingping, in Fuquan, at 8:30 pm on Wednesday, collapsing or burying 77 houses.
Twenty-two people were taken to hospitals to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to Fuquan's publicity department.
About 260 rescuers have arrived in the village and have set up 150 tents for the villagers. Villagers have been provided with quilts, food and bottled water.
"The electricity suddenly went out, so we felt our way out of the house in darkness. The house was buried the moment I rushed out, and Tan, who was just behind me, didn't make it," said Zeng Shuping, a villager.
Half of a 600-meter-high knoll broke free and wiped out most of the village at the foot of the hill.
Residents said mostly children and elderly people were in the village when the landslide struck, as many residents had moved to the city for work.
Signs of life have been detected under the debris, pushing rescuers to avoid using large machinery, which could injure survivors, said Wang Xuejun, a paramilitary police officer overseeing rescue efforts.
A small reservoir was breached during the landslide, and the flooding caused further damage to the village.
Rescue work was also hindered by sudden rain on Thursday morning.
Chen Min'er, governor of Guizhou, has arrived at the village to guide the search and rescue work and comfort the villagers.
Chen asked the rescuers to search carefully and not give up any opportunities.
"We must spare no effort as long as there is hope," Chen said at the scene.
Chen also said work must be done to prevent such disasters from occurring. "The whole province must make a priority of flood prevention work and identify areas at risk of geological disasters. In those places where there are safety hazards, we must speed up the relocation process," he said.
Xinhua contributed to this story.
Contact the writers at lijun@chinadaily.com.cn and houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn
