Nine rescued as Chongqing landslide buries homes during evacuation

A major search operation is continuing in south-western China after a landslide struck homes and businesses in Chongqing’s Pengshui county during an emergency evacuation, burying an unknown number of people.

Nine people had been pulled from the debris, with none reported to be in a life-threatening condition, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.

The landslide occurred at 9.08am on Friday (July 17) in Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County, sending rock, earth and debris down a hillside towards a cluster of riverside buildings.

More than 10 homes were reportedly buried or damaged, while officials were still working to establish the exact number of people trapped.

Warning issued before collapse

Preliminary checks found that a local community worker noticed scattered rocks falling from the hillside at about 8am and immediately issued an emergency warning, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Authorities then ordered more than 60 residents to leave the area.

However, the landslide struck while the evacuation was still in progress, burying some residents before they could reach safety.

Officials had not confirmed whether everyone ordered to evacuate had been accounted for.

The cause of the landslide was also not immediately clear, although the area had experienced persistent heavy rain before the collapse.

Footage captures hillside giving way

Aerial footage broadcast by CCTV showed rocks and debris falling towards riverside residential buildings as people fled through a thick cloud of dust.

A separate dashboard-camera video posted on X and verified by Reuters showed a section of hillside collapsing onto homes and businesses below.

Debris spread across the road, forcing passing cars and a motorcycle to stop as the slope gave way.

The footage illustrated the speed of the collapse and the difficulty faced by residents attempting to evacuate.

Hundreds deployed to rescue effort

China’s Ministry of Emergency Management activated a level-two emergency response and sent a 100-member specialist rescue team to the scene.

The country’s fire and rescue service deployed a further 206 personnel and 49 vehicles to support the operation.

Specialist engineering and geological teams were also sent to assess unstable ground, search for survivors and help remove debris.

China Anneng Construction Group deployed 110 professional rescuers, together with search, detection and engineering equipment.

Rescue teams were working cautiously because of the risk of further movement on the hillside.

Power supplies disrupted

The landslide buried three electricity poles and cut power to the affected community.

Energy authorities dispatched 53 repair workers, 12 maintenance vehicles and an emergency generator truck to provide temporary electricity and restore damaged infrastructure.

The loss of power complicated the rescue operation, particularly as teams used specialist equipment to search through collapsed buildings and debris.

Authorities had not reported any deaths at the time of the latest update.

Emergency crews remained at the scene as officials continued confirming the number of missing residents and assessing damage to homes, businesses, roads and utilities.