BEIJING (AFP) - At least 15 people were believed to be missing on Wednesday after a residential building in China collapsed due to landslides, officials said, as rescuers searched through the wreckage.

An apartment block which housed 114 people in Guiyang, capital of the southern province of Guizhou, collapsed after landslides caused by heavy rains, the city's government said on its website.

It added that 98 residents had been confirmed safe but 16 could not be contacted - with 15 of their mobile phone signals coming from the site of the collapse.

Pictures showed workers in orange suits combing the mangled concrete wreckage of the building for survivors. The government said sniffer dogs had been deployed.

Landslides are common in southern China, often triggered by heavy rains or earthquakes.

China has also seen several building collapses in recent years, with some blamed on low quality construction.