CHONGQING, China — Search-and-rescue teams are working through the wreckage of a deadly landslide in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing, where at least eight people have been killed and 34 others remain unaccounted for.
The disaster struck early Friday morning in Pengshui County, on the outskirts of Chongqing, when a massive surge of rocks and soil cascaded down a hillside and buried more than 10 residential buildings.
By Sunday morning, crews operating excavators were still digging through the debris. At one point, roughly nine rescue workers were observed carrying a sealed orange bag away from the site, though it was not immediately clear whether a victim had been recovered.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that all residents living in 21 buildings within the potential danger zone had been evacuated. Chongqing authorities said in a WeChat post that people were relocated from structures on slopes and in low-lying areas within a one-kilometer radius of the disaster site, with more than 1,100 individuals moved to safety.
Of the 10 people pulled from the rubble alive, one has been released from the hospital. The remaining nine survivors are reported to be in stable condition. Eight others recovered from the debris did not survive.
On Saturday, rescue dogs and detection equipment picked up signs of life under the rubble, confirming that at least one person remained trapped. However, officials cautioned that crews needed to carefully develop a rescue strategy, warning that careless digging could risk triggering a secondary collapse — particularly given the enormous boulders at the scene.
Wang Chuanjun, head of Planning and Natural Resources in Pengshui County, told reporters Friday that the landslide involved roughly 18,000 cubic meters — about 635,500 cubic feet — of rocks and debris. A single boulder at the site measured approximately 3,000 cubic meters, or around 106,000 cubic feet.
More than 120 specialists have been brought in to assist with the rescue operation.
The landslide was triggered by rain and occurred near a section of the Wujiang River, which winds through karst mountain terrain dotted with small communities and terraced hillsides. Pengshui County sits in the southeastern part of Chongqing, near the borders of Hubei and Guizhou provinces.
