Updated

A landslide in northern China's Shanxi province has killed three people after a total of nine were buried underneath the falling earth.

More than a hundred firefighters, rescue workers and medical staff have been sent to the scene, the Luliang municipal government said on its official social media account Monday. The landslide hit shortly before 5 a.m., and rescue efforts are underway for those who remain trapped.

The mountainous Luliang prefecture has been hit by a number of landslides over the years, including one in 2008 that killed 19 people. There was no immediate word on the cause of Monday's landslide or the identities of the deceased.