CHENGDU - Rescuers confirmed on Tuesday that an avalanche that occurred in a mountainous area in Southwest China's Sichuan province has killed four people and left one missing.

The avalanche took place at 3 pm Sunday, when five people were looking for caterpillar fungus, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine, on a mountain in the village of Yangliulin in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture.

Rescuers said that the avalanche released 750,000 cubic meters of snow.

Four bodies have been recovered thus far and a search for the fifth person is ongoing, according to prefectural authorities.