State news agency Xinhua reported local officials as saying early Saturday that only one survivor had so far been found, leading to fears for the safety of the other residents of the village.
Torrents of earth and rocks buried almost 20 homes in the area at around 10.50 p.m. Friday (1450 GMT) in Zhejiang Province in the country’s east.
Rescue work continued through the night, but only the single survivor — now in hospital — and four lifeless bodies were found.
Heavy rain had battered the city for the past two days, and the local weather office said it was still raining when the disaster happened.
