Massive landslide in Chongqing traps residents
A landslide Friday in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing buried some residential buildings, trapping an undetermined number of people, reports BritPanorama.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that at least nine people were rescued from the debris, and that search and rescue operations were ongoing.
The landslide occurred around 9:08 a.m. in Chongqing’s Pengshui County. Massive amounts of rocks and soil washed downslope, burying more than 10 residential buildings. Rescuers employed over 50 sets of detection, search, and rescue equipment, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Images from CCTV showed part of a mountainside collapsing onto a residential area. Several buildings were located adjacent to the collapse site, with rescue crews actively searching through the rubble.
Photos depicted large slabs of rock sliding beside buildings several stories high into a waterway below. Two buildings, approximately five and 15 stories tall, sustained damage but remained standing.
The rain-triggered landslide occurred near a section of the Wujiang River, which traverses karst mountains dotted with small towns and terraces.
Authorities dispatched more than 8,000 disaster-relief items to Chongqing, including tents, folding beds, and family emergency kits.
Pengshui County is located in the southeast part of Chongqing, bordering the provinces of Hubei and Guizhou.
