CHONGQING, China — A landslide on Friday in Pengshui County on the outskirts of the southwestern Chinese municipality of Chongqing killed at least eight people and left 34 missing after masses of rock and soil came down a mountainside and buried residential buildings.

The disaster forced more than 1,100 residents to evacuate and triggered a major rescue operation in the hilly region.

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When the hillside finally gave way

The landslide occurred at about 9:08 a.m., state broadcaster CCTV said, when rocks and soil washed downslope and buried more than 10 residential buildings.

Pengshui County Mayor Ren Xujiang said 10 people had been rescued from the debris, including two who were seriously injured. Chinese President Xi Jinping asked authorities to determine the cause of the disaster.

The search presses on without pause

Rescue work was underway with more than 800 responders on site. Water, electricity, and gas supplies were cut off within a 1-kilometer radius of the slide to prevent further disruptions, officials said.

CCTV images showed part of a mountainside collapsing onto a residential area, while rescue crews searched through the debris and worked under unstable conditions with the risk of another landslide.

Social media footage showed orange-clad rescuers using excavators to dig through the rubble and pulling a survivor from the debris.

A landscape forever altered

Large slabs of rock slid beside buildings into a waterway below, damaging two buildings that appeared to be about five and 15 stories high while leaving them standing.

The rain-triggered landslide occurred near a section of the Wujiang River, in an area of karst mountains dotted with small towns and terraces. Authorities also sent more than 8,000 disaster relief items to Chongqing, including tents, folding beds, and family emergency kits.

Pengshui County lies in the southeast part of Chongqing and borders Hubei and Guizhou provinces.

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FAQs

Q1: What caused the Chongqing landslide?

According to Chinese authorities, the landslide was triggered by heavy rainfall that caused rocks and soil to collapse down a mountainside.

Q2: How many people were affected by the Chongqing landslide?

At least eight people were killed, 34 remained missing, 10 were rescued, and more than 1,100 residents were evacuated, according to officials.