Several people were trapped after a landslide struck Pengshui county in the southwestern Chinese municipality of Chongqing on Friday, burying residential buildings and triggering a large-scale rescue operation, according to state media.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
State broadcaster CCTV said a local community worker noticed rocks falling from a hillside at around 8 am local time and issued an emergency warning. Authorities immediately began evacuating more than 60 residents, but the landslide struck at 9.08 am, trapping several people before the evacuation could be completed.
Officials were still verifying the number of people trapped beneath the debris. Xinhua reported that nine people had been rescued from the rubble and that none had suffered life-threatening injuries. Search and rescue operations were continuing.
Footage aired by CCTV showed a section of the hillside collapsing onto a cluster of riverside homes, sending rocks and debris crashing into buildings as residents fled through thick clouds of dust. A dashcam video verified by Reuters captured the moment the hillside gave way, with debris spilling across a road and forcing passing vehicles and a motorcyclist to stop. The cause of the landslide was not immediately known.
China's Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level-II emergency response and dispatched a 100-member rescue team to the site. The ministry said 206 firefighters and rescue personnel, supported by 49 emergency vehicles, had also been deployed to assist in the operation.
