Massive Landslide In China's Chongqing Buries Homes, 1,100 Evacuated | VIDEO

A massive landslide struck Pengshui County in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing on Friday, burying residential buildings, forcing more than 1,100 people to evacuate and trapping an undetermined number of residents, according to state media.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that at least 10 people had been rescued from the debris, while search and rescue operations were continuing.

Rescue Operations Hampered by Unstable Terrain

The landslide occurred at around 9:08 am in Pengshui County, where large volumes of rocks and soil swept down a mountainside, burying more than 10 residential buildings.

Footage broadcast by CCTV showed part of the mountainside collapsing into a residential area, with rescue personnel searching through the debris. The broadcaster said rescue efforts were complicated by unstable ground and the continued threat of another landslide.

Photographs from the site showed huge slabs of rock sliding past buildings into a nearby waterway. Two damaged buildings, estimated to be about five and 15 storeys tall, remained standing despite the impact, the Associated Press reports.

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Essential Services Suspended in Affected Area

The rain-triggered landslide occurred near a section of the Wujiang River, which flows through a karst mountain region dotted with small towns and terraced landscapes.

Authorities dispatched more than 8,000 disaster-relief items to Chongqing, including tents, folding beds and family emergency kits.

Several power poles were buried, disrupting electricity supply. As a precaution, water, electricity and gas services were suspended within a one-kilometre radius of the affected area to reduce the risk of further disruptions.

Pengshui County is located in southeastern Chongqing and borders the provinces of Hubei and Guizhou.