Landslide in southwest China traps people, rescue efforts underway

BEIJING (AP) — A landslide Friday in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing buried some residential buildings, trapping an undetermined number of people, state media reported.

State broadcaster CCTV said at least nine people were rescued from the debris, and that search and rescue operations were ongoing.

CCTV said the landslide occurred at around 9:08 a.m. in Chongqing’s Pengshui County. Massive amounts of rocks and soil washed downslope, burying more than 10 residential buildings, and rescuers were using more than 50 sets of detection, search and rescue equipment, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Images by CCTV showed part of a mountainside collapsing onto a residential area. Several buildings were located next to the collapse site, while rescue crews were seen searching through the debris.

Photos showed large slabs of rock sliding beside buildings several stories high into a waterway below. Two buildings that looked about five and 15 stories high were damaged but still standing.

The rain-triggered landslide occurred near a section of the Wujiang River, which cuts through karst mountains peppered with small towns and terraces.

Authorities sent 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.