Landslide in Chongqing Kills 8, Leaves 34 Missing

A rain-triggered landslide struck Pengshui County in southwestern China's Chongqing at 9:08 a.m. on Friday, killing eight people and leaving 34 others missing. The slide sent massive amounts of rocks and soil downslope near a section of the Wujiang River, burying more than 10 residential buildings.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that water, electricity and gas supplies were cut off within a 1-kilometer radius of the site. Over 800 rescuers reached the area, but efforts were slowed by unstable terrain and the continuing risk of further slides. Ten people were pulled from the rubble, Xinhua News Agency said, including two who suffered serious injuries.

Two buildings roughly five and 15 stories tall were damaged yet remained standing. Authorities dispatched more than 8,000 disaster-relief items, including tents, folding beds and family emergency kits, to the county. Pengshui lies in the southeast of Chongqing and borders the provinces of Hubei and Guizhou.

Rescue operations continued through the day as crews used excavators to clear debris while monitoring slopes above the affected residential area.