China rescuers race to find trapped people after landslide
Video. China launched a large-scale rescue operation after a landslide struck Pengshui County in Chongqing municipality on 17 July, burying part of a residential area and trapping an unknown number of people.
Updated: 17/07/2026 - 15:00 GMT+2
China launched a large-scale rescue operation after a landslide struck Pengshui County in Chongqing municipality on 17 July, burying part of a residential area and trapping an unknown number of people.
According to state media, at least nine people had been rescued as emergency teams continued to search through rock, mud and debris.
The landslide hit at around 9:08 a.m. local time after heavy rainfall triggered the collapse of a mountainside near the Wujiang River. Hundreds of residents were evacuated as authorities cordoned off the area, assessed nearby buildings for further risk and worked to prevent secondary collapses.
Rescuers deployed more than 50 sets of search and detection equipment, while excavators cleared debris around damaged apartment blocks. Images from the scene showed large slabs of rock crashing into homes, with two multi-storey buildings still standing despite visible structural damage.
Xinhua reported that authorities also sent more than 8,000 emergency relief items, including tents, folding beds and family emergency kits, to support displaced residents. The disaster underscores the continuing danger of rain-induced landslides in the mountainous karst regions of southwest China during the summer rainy season.
