The number of bodies recovered from a landslide that engulfed workers at a Chinese construction site rose to 31 on Monday with seven people still missing, authorities said.

Heavy rain at the weekend buried a temporary shed used by workers at a hydropower station construction site in Fujian province, in the southeast, under 100,000 cubic metres of mud and rock, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Major rescue efforts were continuing, it said.

The Taining county government said on its website the toll figures were as of Monday afternoon.

The total number of victims was revised down after three people previously listed as missing were found alive and safe, authorities and reports said.

President Xi Jinping has urged "maximum efforts" to find survivors, and more than 400 rescuers have been mobilised, Xinhua said, but continued rain has hampered operations.

Deadly landslides are common in China.

At least 73 people were killed by a landslide in the southern commercial hub of Shenzhen in December, caused by the improper storage of waste, with four still unaccounted for.