A rain-triggered landslide in the city of Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, has killed seven people as of Friday night, according to the municipal emergency department.

Three of the seven were found dead at the scene, while the remaining four died of injuries in the hospital, the department said in an update notice published on Friday night.

A search and rescue operation is still underway for the two missing.

The landslide, with a total volume of about 800,000 cubic meters, hit Zhonghai Village, Hanyuan County, at about 3:50 a.m. Friday, causing traffic disruption on a provincial highway.

The local authority has issued an evacuation notice on Thursday to some households in Zhonghai Village after slope cracks were detected near where they live following days of rain.

Nine people ignored the warning and secretly returned to their residences on late Thursday. They were buried after the landslide hit.

The local government has activated a Level  I emergency response to the disaster and mobilized over 300 people for the rescue mission.

Meanwhile, the government said over 940 villagers have been relocated due to the landslide and eight houses have been severely damaged so far.

Mountainous Sichuan suffered similar landslides back in June and July as heavy rainfalls lashed large parts of southern China.

(With input from Xinhua News Agency)