The death toll from Friday's landslide in Guizhou Province in south west China has risen to 39.

Rescuers said five people are still missing and the possibility that they have survived is slim.

The disaster occurred in the early hours of Friday in Zuojiaying, a village in Nayong County.

Four of the five bodies recovered by rescuers on Tuesday were children, the youngest being less than one year old.

Rocks are still falling from the mountain and experts from the Ministry of Land and Resources say they will work with local rescuers to prevent more falls.

(CRI December 8, 2004)