More than 15 dormitories and three houses owned by the Wuzhou mining company in Shanyang County were buried in the mountainous county of Shanyang just after midnight yesterday.
So far 10 people managed to escape by themselves and four were dug out by rescuers and taken to hospital. The four are stable.
More than 700 police, firefighters, mining rescuers and paramedics were at the site, carrying out rescue work.
The geological situation around the site of the tragedy remains unstable with the prospect of more landslides, officials said.
China, world's largest producer of coal, is grapples to find ways to improve standards in the mining sector, where regulations are often violated.
Accidents in Chinese coal mines killed about 930 people last year.