NANNING - Eight tourists were killed and five others injured after a flood hit a scenic area in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Sunday, local authorities said.

The accident occurred around 3:35 pm at Paradise Valley in the Yao autonomous county of Jinxiu, when an upstream dam collapse triggered a flood, according to the fire department of the city of Laibin, which administers the county.

Rescuers have recovered eight bodies so far. The injured have been sent to a hospital in neighboring Mengshan county.

Authorities are working to verify the number of people who went missing during the flood.

Ten rescuers, aided by two local residents, are searching for the missing.