Rescuers in Pengshui County use heavy machinery to search for survivors after a landslide killed at least eight people.
Rescue crews used excavators on Sunday to comb through rubble in Pengshui County, Chongqing, following a landslide that killed at least eight people and left 34 missing. The disaster occurred Friday morning when massive amounts of rocks and soil washed down a slope, burying more than 10 residential buildings. Wang Chuanjun, head of Planning and Natural Resources in Pengshui County, reported that the landslide contained approximately 18,000 cubic meters of debris, including one boulder measuring 3,000 cubic meters. While ten survivors were sent to the hospital, authorities relocated over 1,100 people from the impact zone. Persistent rain from Friday night to Saturday morning complicated the search efforts. To ensure safety, teams are carefully mapping a rescue plan to avoid secondary collapses caused by unstable boulders. Once the initial search is complete, officials plan to use explosives to break apart the larger rocks. China’s National Development and Reform Commission has allocated 30 million yuan to support infrastructure restoration.