The landslides swept through a mountain village near the city of Baoshan in a rugged region of Yunnan province.

The landslides hit Hedong village late Wednesday evening after heavy rain, Xinhua said.

Previous reports said the landslide struck Wama village.

Up to 71 people from 21 families had been trapped in the debris, with 23 of them pulled out by rescuers, Xinhua said.

Eight people were injured.

State media on Thursday ran pictures of police, firemen and soldiers digging through collapsed buildings covered with mounds of rocks and mud on a mountainside.

Floods and related natural disasters triggered by torrential rains have affected 230 million people nationwide in China this year and resulted in the evacuation of more than 15 million people, the government has said.

It said 3,185 people have been killed across the country, and more than 1,000 were missing.

Much of the flooding has been centred on the Yangtze River in south-central China but cities and provinces nationwide have been affected.

A devastating mudslide in the northwestern province of Gansu last month left at least 1,467 dead and 298 missing.

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