26 dead in SW China landslide

Twenty-six people have been confirmed dead, two others injured and dozens more remain missing after a landslide hit a mountainous region in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday, local authorities said.

As of 4 pm 26 bodies had been pulled out from the mud-inundated debris in Gaopo Village, Zhenxiong County some 550 km northeast of Yunnan's capital city of Kunming, the county's publicity department said.

The landslide hit the village around 8.20 am burying the homes of 16 families, a government official told Xinhua news agency.

About 40 people are believed to have been buried in the landslide, according to an initial investigation.

Two injured people have been sent to a nearby hospital but their condition has not been publicised.

"The landslide, which brought about several hundred-thousand cubic metres of watery mud to the village, buried all of the houses there and created great difficulties for rescue efforts amid low temperatures," said Sun Anfa, leader of a rescue team.

More than 1,000 rescuers have arrived on the scene to search for the missing people with five excavators and four front loader trucks. More rescue workers are rushing from nearby regions to assist in search and rescue efforts.

A work team led by provincial governor Li Jiheng is on its way to the scene.

The provincial civil affairs department has allocated relief materials such as tents, quilts, food and water to the region, where temperature is as low as two degrees Celsius.

Zhenxiong County is adjacent to Yiliang County where 19 people, including 18 primary school students, were killed in a landslide in October.

In September, a series of earthquakes -- with the strongest measured at 5.7 magnitude -- struck the region and left at least 81 people dead in Yiliang.

A cold front will move toward the region in the coming week, bringing rain and snow to Zhenxiong County, according to the Yunnan provincial meteorological bureau.

Provincial and local meteorological authorities have initiated an emergency response mechanism for major natural disasters.