An avalanche of soil and debris swept down a hill in north-western China's Shaanxi province on Monday, flattening a seven-storey apartment building and killing three people.

The landslide, triggered by heavy rains over the last weekend, forced the evacuation of 1,100 residents in Ankang city and destroyed several other homes at the foot of the hill.

Three people remained missing as of yesterday, cnwest.com reported.