At least 35 have been killed in a landslide in China's northwestern Xinjiang region, state media reported Thursday.

The landslide caused by heavy rain hit a village in the Kunlun Mountains, burying houses and their occupants in the early hours of Wednesday.

By Thursday night 35 bodied had been pulled from the debris, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

A rescue operation was underway, but efforts were being hindered by the heavy rain which had damaged local roads.

Meanwhile, China's eastern Fujian province is bracing for Typhoon Nepartak -- the first of the season -- to hit.

The storm was expected to make landfall on Saturday bringing with it gales and heavy rain, after it has barrelled across Taiwan.

Authorities have cancelled trains and ordered boats back into port in anticipation of the storm, which will likely exacerbate recent flooding along the Yangtze River and its tributaries.

The floods have caused a series of landslides across eastern China and killed at least 160 people, while more than 1.84 million people have been evacuated, according to Xinhua.