Severe landslide kills 12 in central China province hit hard by heavy rain and floods

Six people who were injured have been sent to hospital for treatment, Xinhua said.

No additional deaths were reported as of noon on Sunday. It remains unclear how many are missing.

Around 20 people were trapped in the landslide, but three escaped by themselves, Beijing News reported, citing state broadcaster CCTV.

Hunan is one of the regions in China hit hardest by recent extreme weather. A flood earlier this month breached an embankment on the shore of Dongting Lake in the northeastern part of the province, forcing more than 6,000 residents to evacuate.

On Sunday, the local meteorological station issued a red alert warning of heavy rain across the province. In some cities, rainfall has reached 100mm (3.9 inches) in one day.

“[We must] do everything we can to prevent the breaching of embankments of major rivers and the collapse of dams at large and key reservoirs,” said a statement from the meeting released by Xinhua.

“[We must] check all hidden risks and dangers of all essential infrastructure … as well as key points such as urban underground spaces, bridges and tunnels, and implement emergency measures to ensure safe operation,” it said.

The Central Meteorological Station on Sunday issued warnings about heavy rainfall in more than 10 provinces, including the central provinces of Hunan, Hubei and Henan, the southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, the southern province of Guangdong, as well as three northeastern provinces.

China's finance and emergency management ministries jointly appropriated 475 million yuan (US$65.6 million) of central government funding for natural disaster relief.