A rescue operation is underway in a Chinese village that was engulfed by a landslide following a typhoon. At least 27 people are missing after rain-saturated hillsides collapsed onto Sucun village in China's Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai, on 28 September.

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The site of a landslide caused by heavy rains brought by Typhoon Megi, in Sucun Village, Lishui, Zhejiang province, China China Daily/Reuters

One of the missing people is a village official who was helping to relocate villagers whose homes had been affected by Typhoon Megi. Around 20 houses were destroyed and swept away by the mass of debris that slammed into the village. Rescue workers have so far managed to pull three people out of the mud.

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A rescue worker clims over boulders near an overturned car at the site of a landslide caused by heavy rains brought by Typhoon Megi, in Sucun Village, Lishui, Zhejiang province, China Reuters
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Rescuers search for survivors at a landslide area in the village of Sucun in Suichang county, in China's Zhejiang province AFP/ Getty Images
China landslide
Rescuers search for survivors at a landslide area in the village of Sucun in Suichang county, in China's Zhejiang province AFP/ Getty Images
China landslide
Rescuers search for survivors at a landslide area in the village of Sucun in Suichang county, in China's Zhejiang province AFP/ Getty Images
Typhoon Megi China
This aerial photo shows rescuers searching for survivors after a landslide in the village of Sucun in Suichang county, east China's Zhejiang province AFP

Six people in Baofeng village in the same province are also missing after their homes were destroyed by a separate landslide, the official Xinhua news agency said. Mountainous Zhejiang province is frequently hit by typhoons at this time of year, making the tiny towns dotted around its valleys highly susceptible to landslides.

Torrential downpours have hit Wencheng County in Zhejiang province, with the maximum precipitation recorded at 600 millimetres. The heavy rain caused the Sixi river to burst its banks, inundating streets in city of Wencheng, where 77 buildings have collapsed.

The typhoon dumped more than 170 millimetres of rainwater onto towns and villages in Fujian province, south of Zhejiang, causing massive flooding and more landslides. Roads and railway lines were cut off.

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Streets are submerged in floodwaters brought by Typhoon Megi in Xiamen, eastern China's Fujian province AFP
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Partly-submerged cars are seen on a flooded street in Fuzhou, Fujian province Reuters
Typhoon Megi China
People walk on makeshift walkways along a flooded street in Fuzhou, Fujian province, China Reuters
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Rescue workers try to clear boulders from a railway line in Fuzhou, Fujian province Reuters
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People use a dinghy to cross a flooded area of Fuzhou, Fujian province, China Reuters
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Rescuers evacuate young flood-affected residents through floodwaters brought by Typhoon Megi in Ningde, eastern China's Fujian province AFP
Typhoon Megi China
Houses are submerged in floodwaters brought by Typhoon Megi in Ningde, eastern China's Fujian province AFP
Typhoon Megi China
Rescuers evacuate residents through floodwaters brought by typhoon Megi in Ningde, eastern China's Fujian province AFP

Typhoon Megi had already killed four people and injured more than 523 in Taiwan since roaring in from the Pacific Ocean.

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