A landslide buried more than a dozen village houses in southeastern Myanmar, killing at least 13 people and injuring nearly 30, media reported on Saturday.

"Thirteen people have so far been found dead and 27 taken to hospital in Mawlamyine (Mon state's capital)," district administrator Myo Min Tun told AFP by phone.

Rescuers were using backhoes and bulldozers to clear the mud and debris from the village in Paung township. The search and rescue operation continued into Friday night in the hunt for more survivors and retrieve bodies.

Workers were also trying to clear the main highway from Yangon to Mawlamyine, buried under debris, Myo Min Tun added.

Torrential downpours have caused rivers to burst their banks across the country while coastal communities have been warned of looming high tides. Officials say at least 30,000 people, mainly in Bago region and Mon and Karen states, were seeking refuge from the floods, many in monasteries.

The state's top official Aye Zan visited the site and villagers evacuated to a relief camp to escape floods following torrential rains.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that monsoon flooding had displaced more than 7,000 people this week in Mon state. Apart from the landslide in Paung, houses and a school in other townships were washed away, roads were blocked and villages were submerged in floodwater.

Nearly 12,000 people have been displaced in Myanmar this week alone, bringing the total number of those in evacuation centers to more than 38,000, the UN said.

(With input from AFP and AP)