The accident, likely to have been triggered by continuous rainfall, took place at around 4pm on Wednesday in the Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County.
The heart-stopping moment was captured by a car's dashcam and showed several vehicles, including a truck, being violently swept away by the force of the mudflow.
"Our vehicles were moving one by one. And then suddenly I saw the mud falling and collapsing, I was scared to death. Before I knew it, the mud hit me head on and my car was turned over," recalled Xu, a driver caught in the disaster.
Eight vehicles were caught up in the landslide, with 16 drivers and passengers affected. One was left trapped inside his car but the rest managed to escape through the windows of their vehicles.
Firefighters were sent to the scene and rescued the trapped man immediately. He sustained injuries to his legs and back, and was swiftly sent to hospital. Another two people suffered minor injuries in the incident.
