Toll in China landslide rises to 43

The death toll in a landslide that occurred earlier this week in southwest China's Sichuan province has risen to 43, authorities said.

The landslide occurred Wednesday in Sanxi village, Xinhua reported.

Officials said 10 bodies have been identified, while 118 people were still missing. Most of them were tourists.

"So far, no sign of life has been detected at the scene," said Ma Kun, head of the firefighting division in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province.

The landslide which buried 11 homes is believed to have been triggered by severe rainstorms since Monday.

The affected area of the landslide is two km long, with about 1.5 million cubic metres of mud, rock and debris, said a researcher with the Institute of Mountain and Environment under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.