Video: People dragged under devastating landslide in China

FLOODING in weste China, the worst in 50 years for some areas, has triggered a landslide that buried about 30 people, trapped hundreds in a highway tunnel and destroyed a high-profile memorial to a devastating 2008 earthquake.

Meanwhile, to the northeast, at least 12 workers were killed when a violent rainstorm caused the collapse of an unfinished coal mine workshop they were building, said a statement from the city govement of Jinzhong, where the accident occurred. The accident on Tuesday night came amid heavy rain and high winds across a swath of northe China, including the capital, Beijing.

There was no immediate word on the chances of survival for the 30 or so people buried in the landslide in the city of Dujiangyan in Sichuan province, but rescue workers with search dogs rushed to the area, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

State-run China Central Television said hundreds of people were trapped in a highway tunnel between Dujiangyan and Wenchuan - the epicenter of the earthquake five years ago that left 90,000 people dead or missing. Authorities were not able to make contact with the people, the report said.

Mudslides and flooding are common in China's mountainous areas, killing hundreds of people every year. Deforestation has led to soil erosion and made some parts of China prone to mudslides after strong rains.

In nearby Beichuan county, flooding destroyed buildings and wrecked exhibits at a memorial for the 2008 earthquake. The quake left the Beichuan county seat unliveable. The town was abandoned, and 27 square kilometres of ruins were tued into a memorial and museum.

The flooding also caused the collapse of an almost 50-year-old bridge in a neighbouring county, sending six vehicles into the raging waters and leaving 12 people missing.