A landslide which swept through an industrial park in southern China has buried more than 20 buildings in mud, left 59 people missing and triggered a gas explosion, state media reported.
Witnesses described a mass of red earth and mud racing towards the park in the city of Shenzhen before burying and crushing homes and factories.
More than 1,500 emergency workers are involved in the rescue.
The slide also ruptured a natural gas pipeline and triggered an explosion at the Hengtaiyu industrial park which was heard about four kilometres away, the agency said. It said debris covered more than 25 acres.
About 900 people were moved out of harm's way before the landslide struck this morning in the city bordering Hong Kong, according to the Shenzhen Evening News newspaper.
"I saw red earth and mud running towards the company building," one local worker said.
"Fortunately, our building was not hit, and all people in our company were safely evacuated," the worker said, adding that a fishpond broke the full force of the landslide.
Video: #Landslide buries 22 buildings in an industrial park in S. China Shenzhen, at least 27 missing pic.twitter.com/JdIdwuRpvS
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) December 20, 2015
A woman surnamed Hu told the Shenzhen Evening News that she saw her father buried by earth in his truck.
"It's been hours after he was buried, and we are quite worried," she said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang ordered immediate rescue efforts.
The State Council, or cabinet, sent a working group to coordinate rescue efforts, which involved almost 100 fire trucks plus sniffer dogs, drones and other equipment.
A landslide last month, which engulfed 27 homes in rural Zhejiang province, killed 38 people.
