Landslides buried a village in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 350 people and leaving hundreds missing, as a major rescue operation was launched to find survivors trapped under the mud.

Landslides buried a village in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 350 people and leaving hundreds missing, as a major rescue operation was launched to find survivors trapped under the mud.

The first emergency teams on the scene in Badakhshan province used shovels to dig through rocks and dirt, with local authorities, the United Nations and the NATO military force racing to assess the damage and provide help.

"Two successive landslides within one hour hit Aab Bareek village today," Gul Mohammad Baidaar, deputy governor of Badakhshan, told AFP.

"A hill collapsed on the village. We talked to local people and, according to them, around 400 people are under piles of mud.

"Most of those missing had gathered in two mosques to offer Friday prayers. The second landslide hit locals who came to help."

Badakhshan is a remote, mountainous province in northeast Afghanistan bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan.

"The number of deceased has increased to 350," the UN mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.

"A response is being mobilised for those who survived but were displaced, with some partners already on the ground.

"(NATO's) Regional Command in the north (is) in contact with the Afghan National Army in regards to search and rescue efforts."

President Hamid Karzai said immediate action was being taken, with rescuing survivors the priority for emergency efforts, which continued as darkness fell.

Local officials said that the landslides occurred at about midday (0730 GMT) in the Argo district after days of heavy rain.

Between 350 and 400 houses were destroyed, they said.

"It is a disaster. The landslide has affected around 1,000 families," Sayed Abdullah Homayun Dehqan, provincial director of the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority, told AFP.

"Around 300 families are missing, that could involve around 2,000 people. People are working to remove the rocks, so far three bodies have been recovered.

"Around 700 families were rescued, we have sent in some basic assistance such as tents and blankets."

US President Barack Obama also expressed his condolences over the disaster, saying "our thoughts are with the people of Afghanistan who have experienced an awful tragedy."

"We stand ready to help our Afghan partners as they respond to this disaster," Obama said at a joint press conference in Washington with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The UN said that it was helping to coordinate local authorities to rescue survivors, but that road access to the area could not take heavy machinery.