Several hundred rescuers raced against time Friday as they scoured the city of Fuquan in southwest China's Guizhou province for survivors after a massive landslide that killed at least 14 people two days ago.

Equipped with specialized devices that detect signs of life, and massive construction trucks and backhoes, more than 600 rescuers worked in two distraught Guizhou villages searching for survivors. At least 11 people remained missing.

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The specialized devices that detect life are used by rescuers to make sure that no survivor is accidentally hit by large backhoes during the excavation process.

More than 20 people were injured while 77 houses were destroyed or buried under a thick layer of mud and soil after a 600-meter-high knoll collapsed at around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday following three days of heavy rain.

Yinping village, one of the villages in Fuquan affected by the landslide, was mainly occupied by children and elderly when the landslide occurred, residents said. The province is mainly composed of hills and is known for its wet weather.

"The electricity suddenly went out, so we felt our way out of the house in darkness, Yinping villager Zeng Shuping said." The house was buried the moment I rushed out, and Tan, who was just behind me, didn't make it," .

Relief goods such as tents, food, water, and quilts have been distributed to surviving residents although constant torrential rain makes rescue work more complicated. Surviving residents and rescuers also were dealing with massive flooding after a small reservoir was destroyed during the landslide.

One of the poorest provinces in China, Guizhou's main industry is mining. Local villagers had been complaining about the weakening mountainside due to the constant excavation and quarrying done in the mountains, according to reports.

Around 42 percent of the province is affected by soil erosion brought about by past mining operations since 2009, official statistics revealed.

Tagslandslide, Mining, Mining