The death toll from a landslide that hit a mountainous region in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday has risen to 43 after more bodies were retrieved. Three are missing.

Chinese leaders Xi Jinping, Wen Jiabao and Li Keqiang have ordered all-out efforts to rescue victims of the landslide in order to minimize casualties from the disaster.

Xi, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said efforts must be made to resettle affected residents, prevent secondary disasters and successfully complete relief work and reconstruction so as to ensure stability.

Xi also asked agencies involved in disaster relief to offer proper psychological treatment to affected residents and maintain public order.

The State Council, or China's Cabinet, has sent a work group comprised of leaders from various government departments, including the land and resources, civil affairs, finance, transport and health ministries, to the landslide-hit zone to direct relief work.

The work group, headed by Xu Shaoshi, minister of land and resources, will focus on solving practical problems on site.

The landslide hit the Zhaojiagou area of Gaopo Village, Zhenxiong County around 8:20 a.m. Friday. Zhenxiong is some 550 km northeast of Yunnan provincial capital Kunming.

Forty-six residents -- 27 adults and 19 children -- were buried in the landslide, according to the local civil affairs bureau. The Zhaojiagou area had a total of 73 households with a population of 468.

Two other injured people have been sent to a nearby hospital, and it has been confirmed that their injuries are not life-threatening.

Rescue operation

Snow continued. As of 11 p.m. Friday, rescuers were still searching for the missing, with the help of lamps and life detectors. They hoped to find any survivors despite bitter wind and low temperatures.

More than 20 excavators and front-loader trucks have been used in the rescue operation.

"Many soldiers had even no time for their meals," said Liu Guanneng, head of the fire fighting squad of Zhaotong City, at the scene.

"We divide ourselves into three 20-member teams. We take turns to continue the search every two hours," said Liu, his clothes all in mud. He referred to the rescue arrangements of his own squad on Friday night.

Wang Ying, a doctor in Yile Town hospital in Zhenxiong County, said they rushed here at 9 a.m. after receiving orders and had been busy working late Friday night.

More than 1,000 soldiers, police, fire fighters and mine rescue workers had joined the search operation, said Feng Xuelan, secretary of the Zhenxiong county committee of the Communist Party of China.

Witnesses' account

Li Yongju, a 50-year-old resident of Zengjiazhai, which neighbors Zhaojiagou, said she heard great crashing sounds while cleaning her yard at around 8 a.m.. She realized there had been a landslide after seeing thick dusts shrouding Zhaojiagou.

She said she quickly called her neighbors to run to Zhaojiagou, only to see all the residential area flattened. She then ran back home to call police.

She and other villagers then rushed to Zhaojiagou with shovels and hoes to sift the debris and search for people.

"We pulled out several people, one of whom was breathing weakly. But after a while, he died," said Li, whose own house developed cracks after the disaster.

Zhou Benju, another resident of Zengjiazhai, said she was woken up by the loud noise and rushed out of her house.

"In this disaster, several relatives of my parents -- my grandma, brother, uncle and my aunt's family members, died," she wept. She was born in Zhaojiagou and married to a man from the Zengjiazhai area.

Zhou helped cook meals for the rescuers.