The landslide occurred at a state-owned forestry station in Jinkouhe, near the city of Leshan, at 6 am on Saturday.

The collapse happened high on a mountain, and rescue operations are currently underway.

As of 3:30 pm, the remains of 14 victims have been recovered, while five people remain missing.

The local government has sent more than 180 people and a dozen pieces of rescue and recovery equipment to the site.

The area where the landslide occurred is remote and densely forested, and much of Sichuan is prone to disasters, including extreme weather, earthquakes, and landslides.

In 2017, a series of landslides in the province caused significant damage and loss of life.

In 2019, massive rains triggered a slew of landslides, including one that buried a section of railway.

Despite strengthened safety protocols in recent years, accidents still occur in China's extractive industries.

In February, more than 50 people were declared missing or dead after a slope collapsed at a mine in Inner Mongolia, and in December, around 40 people were working underground when a gold mine in Xinjiang collapsed.

Contacted by AFP, an official in Jinkouhe's publicity department declined to give further comment on Sunday's landslide.

The site of the landslide is in a mountainous region about 240 kilometers south of Chengdu.

The settlement of Jinkouhe, with an economy based on forestry, power generation, agriculture, and other industries, has seen several landslides in the past.

The tragedy comes less than a year after a massive earthquake in the province killed more than 87,000 people and left 5,335 school children missing.

China has strengthened safety protocols in recent years, but accidents still occur regularly.

China is seismically active, and earthquakes are a major concern in the country.

In 2021, a powerful earthquake in the Tibetan region of Qinghai