PHOTOS: Massive Landslide In China Buries 100 People, 500 Rescuers Deployed Amid Heavy Rains

Torrential rains caused a massive landslide in southwest China's Sichuan Province Friday evening with more than 100 people feared buried under the debris, according to sources with authorities in Maoxian County.

The mountainous village of Xinmo was struck by the tragedy when huge boulders from a high part of a mountain in the Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba came crashing down, burying 40 homes, state media reported.

The landslide hit the village around 6 p.m. EDT Friday (6 a.m. local time Saturday morning in China), the Washington Post reported, referring to a video posted on the website of Sichuan Daily.

The landslide that smashed the village also blocked more than a mile of a river course, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

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State broadcaster China Global Television Network (CGTN) tweeted a video showing rescue workers and bulldozers moving earth and boulders as part of the rescue effort. It also tweeted over 500 rescuers were deployed to remove the debris and search for the 100 missing people believed to be trapped under it.

Another Chinese newspaper, the People's Daily, also posted pictures showing the rescue work going on in the village.

Rescuers used ropes to move massive rocks while dozens of others searched the mountain for survivors. Bulldozers and heavy diggers were also seen removing boulders.

"There are several tonnes of rock," local police captain Chen Tiebo told state broadcaster CGTN. Chen added the region had been getting heavy rainfall in the past few days which triggered the massive landslide.

"It's a seismic area here. There's not a lot of vegetation," Chen said. "Trees can help absorb excess rain and prevent landslides."

Another Twitter user tweeted a photograph showing soldiers in orange jackets clambering across a field of rocks.

Maoxian county is mostly inhabited by members of the small Qiang ethnic group which is a matrilineal society. They are known for building watchtowers and rope bridges in their mountainous lands. Apart from that, the ethnic group is also famous for its dancing and colorful costumes. Maoxian is located around 110 miles north of the provincial capital, Chengdu, according to reports.

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Landslides are not an uncommon feature in rural and mountainous parts of China, particularly in times of heavy rain. At least 12 people were killed in January when a landslide crushed a hotel in central Hubei province, reports said.

In October 2016, a landslide smashed eastern China after torrential rains caused by Typhoon Megi. It had caused widespread damage and at least eight people were killed.

More than 70 people were killed by a landslide in the southern commercial hub of Shenzhen in December 2015, caused by the improper storage of construction waste. Around 85 people were missing a day after construction waste and soil that had piled upto a 100-meters high swept onto buildings.

Experts said the Shenzhen landslide was the first time a slide of construction waste was seen to be responsible. One expert was quoted saying the government would be scrambling to establish whether it was a one-off incident, or the first of more to come, the Guardian reported.