The toll in mudslides that hit a village in southwest China's Yunnan province has climbed to 21 and 27 people are still missing, rescue officials said Saturday.

The mudslides occurred Wednesday night in Hedong village of Longyang district in Baoshan city, Xinhua reported.

About 30 personnel were monitoring the region to prevent secondary disasters, an official said.

An initial investigation blamed the tragedy on loose dirt and rocks sitting on a steep slope that had been soaked by rain for about 10 days.

Up to 40,000 cubic metres of debris came crashing down on the densely populated village, trapping 71 people from 21 families.