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Landslide in Chongqing Buries Homes, Kills Eight and Leaves Dozens Missing

Heavy rain destabilized steep karst slopes, leaving rescue teams working in persistent bad weather with high risk of further collapse.

Overview

  • A sudden landslide struck Pengshui County on Friday, July 17, sending about 18,000 cubic metres of rock and soil downslope and burying more than 10 riverside residential buildings.
  • Local authorities confirmed at least eight people have died and about 34 remain missing, while roughly 10 people were pulled from the debris and taken to hospital.
  • More than 1,100 residents were evacuated and over 800 rescuers, including national specialised teams, have been deployed in a Level‑II geological emergency response to search for survivors.
  • Central agencies have directed rescue work, sent inspection teams and allocated emergency relief funds and supplies totaling tens of millions of yuan to support operations and recovery.
  • Rescue efforts are being slowed by persistent heavy rain, unstable boulders and damaged utilities, raising the risk of secondary slides and complicating plans to clear or break large rocks safely.