An unknown number of people were buried after a landslide struck a county in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing on Friday, causing multiple residential buildings downhill to collapse, according to state media.
Preliminary verification indicated that a Pengshui county community worker spotted scattered falling rocks around 8 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) and issued an emergency warning, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Authorities ordered an evacuation of more than 60 residents, but the landslide occurred during the evacuation at 9:08 a.m., burying some people.
The exact number of those trapped was still being confirmed, the report said.
Nine people had been pulled from the rubble, with none in life-threatening condition, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
It was not immediately clear what caused the landslide.
Aerial footage from CCTV showed rock and debris falling on a cluster of riverside residential buildings, while people could be seen fleeing with a thick plume of dust billowing behind them.
A dashcam video posted on X, verified by Reuters, showed a section of hillside collapsing onto homes and businesses below, sending debris across the road and forcing passing cars and a motorcycle to stop.
Seven of the people trapped after a landslide in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality have been rescued, local authorities confirmed on Friday. #XinhuaNews pic.twitter.com/5tcGV5Hogp
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) July 17, 2026
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management activated a level-two emergency response and dispatched a 100-member rescue team to the scene, the ministry said in a statement.
Some 206 personnel and 49 vehicles from China’s fire and rescue force were sent to the site to assist in rescue efforts, the ministry said.
(Reuters) (Featured image a screengrab from X)