Survivors said houses built on the hillside collapsed like a deck of cards.
Three days after the flash flood, rescue workers in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, were still sifting through the debris.
'We have to try our best before the next torrential rain comes within days,' said a rescue worker.
Twenty-five people died in their sleep in the most seriously affected Yunyang district of the city when the mudslide came at daybreak on Tuesday and uprooted their flimsy houses built on the hillside. The residential area lies near the north railway station of the city where most low-income families live.
Most of their houses were built with bricks and tiles and some were just shelters covered with planks.
'Non-stop rain began to pour down on us starting around 7 pm on Monday,' said Yuan Zugui , 75.
'I couldn't sleep at all during the night.' Mr Yuan, whose three-storey house is built in the foothills, said he witnessed the worst sight of his life when he opened the door to find out what the noise was.
