Rescue efforts continued on Saturday following a landslide in Pengshui County, Chongqing, southwestern China, that killed at least eight people and left 34 others missing. The disaster occurred on Friday morning around 9:10 a.m. local time when a massive amount of rocks and soil slid down a slope, burying more than 10 residential buildings and damaging both homes and commercial properties.
State media and local officials reported that over 1,100 residents were displaced as a result of the landslide. Rescue teams have thus far pulled ten individuals from the debris, with two in serious condition. Authorities dispatched more than 800 responders to the scene, supported by volunteers assisting with supply delivery via motorbikes. Relief efforts included the distribution of over 8,000 disaster relief items such as tents, folding beds, and emergency kits. To prevent further hazards, water, electricity, and gas supplies were cut off within a one-kilometer radius of the site.
The landslide involved an estimated 635,500 cubic feet of rock and soil, including a single rock approximately the size of a multistory building, measuring around 106,000 cubic feet, according to Wang Chuanjun, head of Planning and Natural Resources in Pengshui County. Photographs and video footage showed extensive destruction, with buildings crushed under rocks and debris, and vehicles partially buried.
Heavy rainfall, which continued from Friday night into Saturday morning and measured nearly eight inches at a local weather station, hampered rescue operations by increasing the risk of further slope instability. As the rain eased, teams began on-the-ground inspections of collapsed structures and riverbanks near the Wujiang River, which runs through the karst mountain region where Pengshui is located.
Rescuers are employing excavators and search dogs to find survivors. Given the danger posed by unstable boulders, future operations will include drilling into large rocks and using explosives to break them apart once surface searches are complete. Authorities stressed the complexity of the operation due to the unstable terrain and weather conditions.
The Pengshui County government allocated 50 million yuan (approximately $7.36 million) for disaster relief, while China’s National Development and Reform Commission contributed an additional $4.4 million to support infrastructure restoration and public service recovery in the aftermath of the event.
Pengshui County borders the provinces of Hubei and Guizhou and is part of the broader Chongqing municipality. The region’s mountainous terrain and continuing rainfall have raised concerns about the potential for further landslides as recovery efforts proceed.