Chongqing, China. An unknown number of people were buried after a landslide struck Pengshui county in southwestern Chongqing on Friday, collapsing multiple residential buildings during an evacuation, state media reported.
Nine people were pulled from the rubble, none with life-threatening injuries, while authorities continued to confirm the number of people trapped.
Evacuation and collapse
A community worker spotted scattered falling rocks at about 8 a.m. local time and issued an emergency warning, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 60 residents. The landslide occurred at 9:08 a.m. during the evacuation, burying some people.
Rescue response
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management activated a level-two emergency response and sent a 100-member rescue team to the site.
Local authorities said seven trapped people had been rescued, while Xinhua reported that nine people had been pulled from the rubble. The number of those still trapped was being verified.
Footage of the incident
Aerial footage broadcast by CCTV showed rocks and debris falling onto riverside residential buildings as residents fled amid a thick plume of dust.
A dashcam video verified by Reuters showed part of a hillside collapsing onto homes and businesses below, spreading debris across a road and forcing passing cars and a motorcycle to stop.
The cause of the landslide was not immediately clear.