At least seven people were killed and 40 others went missing after a landslide struck southwest China’s mountainous Yunnan province on Monday.

The disaster hit the Liangshui village of Zhaotong city at 5.51am Beijing time, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Seven people were confirmed dead and 40 others remain missing in the landslide, the report said.

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.