BEIJING (Reuters) - Torrential rains in southwestern China triggered landslides that have killed 17 people and left 44 missing, Chinese media reported on Tuesday, with forecasts for more heavy rains in the days ahead.

Xinhua news agency said provincial rescue workers had been dispatched to a region north of Kunming in Yunnan province and in three areas in Sichuan province.

The China Daily newspaper quoted meteorological authorities as saying more rainstorms were forecast for the next three days in areas already flooded in central and eastern China near the Yangtze River. Another 43 people there have been reported killed and 18 missing in the last two weeks.

Flooding and landslides are a perennial threat this time of year in parts of central and southwestern China, when millions of people are displaced from their homes. Last month, more than 360 people died from flooding and landslides in several regions of southern China.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Ken Wills and Ron Popeski)