BEIJING— Rescue teams continued searching on Sunday for dozens of people missing after a landslide buried residential buildings in southwest China's Chongqing municipality, as authorities warned of ongoing geological risks following days of heavy rainfall.
The landslide struck Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County on Friday morning, sending a large volume of rock and soil down a hillside and burying more than 10 residential buildings near the Wujiang River, according to local authorities and state media. Officials said at least eight people had been confirmed dead, while 34 remained missing.
Emergency officials said 10 people had been rescued from the debris, with nine remaining in stable condition in hospital and one discharged after treatment. More than 1,100 residents from surrounding buildings in the affected area were evacuated as a precaution against further slope failures.
Search efforts involving excavators, rescue dogs, life-detection equipment and drones continued under difficult conditions, with authorities saying unstable boulders and the risk of secondary landslides were complicating operations. More than 120 geological experts were deployed to assess hazards and support rescue work, according to official statements.
China's Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level II national emergency response for geological disasters and dispatched specialist rescue teams, while the National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief launched a Level IV disaster relief response. Emergency supplies, including tents, folding beds and family emergency kits, were sent to the affected area.
President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to make every effort to locate those still missing, treat the injured and investigate the cause of the disaster, state media reported. Local officials said preliminary observations indicated community workers noticed falling rocks before the collapse and began evacuating residents, although the landslide occurred while evacuations were still under way.
Chinese authorities have not released a final determination on the cause of the landslide, but officials said the area had experienced persistent heavy rainfall in recent days, increasing the risk of geological disasters. Mountainous parts of southwestern China are prone to landslides during periods of intense rain.
Rescue operations remained ongoing on Sunday, and authorities said the number of missing and casualties could change as teams continued clearing debris and verifying the identities of those affected.
