A major landslide occurred in Chongqing, southwest China, causing multiple houses to collapse and burying residents beneath soil and debris, while authorities mobilized rescue teams to search for missing people.
Xinhua News Agency and CCTV reported that the landslide took place on the morning of Friday, 17 July, in Pengshui County, Chongqing. Prior to the event, community officials observed rocks falling intermittently from the mountainside from around 08:00, prompting them to issue warnings and evacuate residents in the risk area.
Authorities managed to evacuate more than 60 residents, but during the evacuation at 09:08, a massive landslide occurred. A huge mass of soil and rocks collapsed onto the hillside homes, trapping some residents beneath the rubble. The exact number of missing persons is still being verified.
So far, rescue teams have pulled nine victims from the debris, all of whom are unharmed and have no life-threatening injuries.
Helicopter footage from CCTV showed vast amounts of soil and boulders rushing down the mountain, striking a cluster of buildings by the river. Residents were seen fleeing for their lives amid a large cloud of dust covering the area.
Additionally, dashcam footage reviewed by Reuters captured the moment when the mountainside collapsed onto homes and shops below. Rocks and soil scattered across the road, forcing cars and motorcycles to stop abruptly.
China's Emergency Management Ministry upgraded the response to Level 2 and dispatched a special rescue team of 100 personnel to the site, while fire and rescue units deployed 206 more staff and 49 rescue vehicles to speed up the search for anyone still trapped under the debris.
Click to read related newsInternational News