Beijing  - A landslide buried part of a village in northern China's Shanxi province, killing 23 people, state television reported on Tuesday.

The massive landslide on Monday covered an area of about 20,000 square metres and buried five homes in a coal-mining area in Shanxi's Zhongyang county, reports said.

All of the victims were migrant coal miners and their families from the south-western province of Yunnan.

Workers rescued two people shortly after the landslide and recovered the last of the 23 bodies early Tuesday morning.

Officials were investigating the cause of the accident in the mountainous area, which is one of China's key coal-producing regions. (dpa)