Landslides demolish village in southeast China

At least 27 people were reported missing on Thursday after rain-saturated hillsides collapsed on to a village in southeast China.

The landslides were triggered by torrential rain brought by Typhoon Megi, which has lashed southeast China since Wednesday.

Megi slammed into China after killing four people in Taiwan on Tuesday.

The typhoon weakened as it crossed Taiwan, so the winds were not as powerful by the time it made landfall in southeast China.

However, the rains remained very intense. Schools were closed and dozens of flights were cancelled as the storm came ashore.

The extreme amounts of rain triggered widespread flooding and a number of landslides.

Fuzhou, the capital of the Fujian province, received 327 millimetres of rain in only two days, which left many of the streets submerged.

In the neighbouring province of Zhejiang, rescue operations were under way after a landslide destroyed homes, leaving at least 27 people missing.

The hillside gave way in Sucun Village, Suichang County, on Wednesday, smashing through about 20 homes.

The rescuers pulled out three people and another 10 managed to dig themselves free. All of them are now in a stable condition in hospital.

The typhoon is still disintegrating over the region and will continue to give heavy rain over the next few days.