Rescuers in Chongqing are using excavators, dogs and detectors to search the Pengshui landslide site. The operation remains delicate as unstable boulders threaten fresh collapses while dozens remain untraced.
Rescue crews in China’s southwestern city of Chongqing used excavators on Sunday to search for survivors after a landslide killed at least eight people and left 34 others missing. The slide buried more than 10 residential buildings early on Friday in Pengshui County on the outskirts of the city.
Authorities said 10 people had been pulled out alive, with one discharged from hospital and the other nine in stable condition. State broadcaster CCTV reported that residents from 21 buildings in the potential impact zone had been evacuated, while Chongqing authorities said more than 1,100 people had been relocated from buildings on slopes and in low-lying areas within a one-kilometre radius of the site.
On Sunday morning, about nine rescuers were seen carrying a sealed orange bag from the scene, though it was not immediately clear whether a victim had been recovered. On Saturday, rescue teams using dogs and detectors found signs of life, confirming that at least one survivor was still trapped under the debris. Authorities said the rescue plan had to be worked out carefully as reckless digging could trigger another collapse, especially because of the large boulders at the site.
The landslide brought down about 18,000 cubic metres of rocks and debris. Wang Chuanjun, head of Planning and Natural Resources in Pengshui County, told reporters on Friday that one boulder alone measured about 3,000 cubic metres. More than 120 experts were deployed to assist in the rescue operation.
The rain-triggered landslide happened near a stretch of the Wujiang River that runs through karst mountains dotted with small towns and terraces. As the search continued on Sunday, eight deaths had been confirmed, 34 people were still missing, 10 had survived and large-scale evacuations had been carried out in the surrounding area.
With PTI Inputs
