8 killed, 39 people missing as landslide strikes southwest China region

At least eight people were killed and 39 others went missing after a landslide struck southwest China's mountainous Yunnan province on Monday.

The disaster struck the Liangshui village of Zhaotong city at 5:51 am Beijing time, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Eight people were confirmed dead in the landslide, official media reports said. As many as 39 others are missing.

All the 47 victims are from 18 different households, rescue officials said.

Over 500 residents were evacuated from the landslide-hit areas as the provincial commission for disaster reduction activated a Level-III emergency response for disaster relief, state-run CCTV reported.

Efforts are on to rescue the people trapped under the landslide, official media reported.

A total of 795 rescue workers equipped with one drone and 120 vehicles, including excavators, loaders and transport vehicles, are carrying out search and rescue work at the site. As many as 33 firefighting vehicles and 10 loading machines are also mobilised to search for the missing.

More than 100 tents, 400 quilts, 200 cotton coats and 14 sets of emergency lighting equipment have also been provided.

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an all-out search and rescue of the people missing in the landslide.

"[We should] promptly organise rescue teams, make all-out efforts to search for missing individuals, and minimise casualties to the greatest extent possible," Xi was quoted as saying in the Xinhua report.

Xi, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called on party cadres to watch out for other natural disaster risks and hidden dangers "to effectively ensure the safety of people's lives and property" as a result of the wave of cold weather that swept across southern China just three weeks before the Lunar New Year.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang also ordered an all-out rescue effort in Liangshui and emphasised the need to maintain social stability, in light of the area's high altitude and ethnic diversity.

"It is necessary to promptly evacuate the threatened population, handle resettlement properly, effectively ensure the safety of people's lives and property, and maintain overall social stability," Li was quoted as saying by the official media.

The cause of the landslide was not immediately known.

The local weather forecast light snow in the town on Tuesday, with the lowest temperature expected to reach -3 degree Celsius, the report said.

The Chinese government has allocated 50 million yuan (about USD 7 million) as disaster fund to carry out the rescue and relief operations.

The government has also deployed the military and militias for the rescue operation. A total of 104 militia members in Zhenxiong County were also mobilised, Xinhua reported.