Chinese authorities have reported that a landslide has swept through a village in southern China Friday at 8:20 am, killing at least 32 people.

The landslide covered 14 homes in a Zhaojiagou villag of Gaopoe. Hours later, 48 people are still missing in the village.

Rescue crews, clad in orange jumpsuits, operated heavy equipment as they worked to go through mud, snow and debris looking for victims, dead or alive in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Rescuers recovered seven of the victims killed, all were of the same family.

There has not been any announcement of the reason or cause of the landslide. But, it is a common occurance in the area that receives heavy rains and is prone to earthquakes.

Two earthquakes in September killed 81 people and injured hundreds in the region. Another landslide in a neighboring county in October killed 18 children. One of the deadliest disaster in recent history occurred in the neighboring province of Sichuan in 2008. In that incident, an earthquake took the lives of 70,000 people.