WATCH: Landslide Buries Homes In Southwest China, Several Trapped After Heavy Rain

A massive landslide triggered by heavy rainfall struck Pengshui County in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Friday morning, burying more than 10 residential buildings and trapping several people beneath tonnes of rock and debris.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene shortly after the landslide occurred around 9 a.m. local time, launching a large-scale rescue operation as search teams worked against time to locate survivors.

According to Chinese state media, the landslide was triggered after a huge section of the mountainside collapsed, sending rocks, mud and soil crashing into a residential area. Authorities said at least nine people had been rescued, while the exact number of those still trapped was not immediately known.

Rescue teams deployed excavators, life-detection equipment and specialised search units to clear the debris. Officials have also dispatched thousands of emergency relief supplies, including tents, folding beds and family emergency kits, to support displaced residents.

Terrifying Video Captures Residents Running For Safety

Dramatic videos circulating online captured the terrifying moments the landslide unfolded.

The footage shows residents sprinting through the streets as a massive cloud of dust rapidly engulfs a road lined with buildings, highlighting the sheer speed and force of the mountainside collapse.

The video then shifts to ground-level visuals of an enormous mound of rocks and debris that crashed onto buildings, with stunned residents and onlookers gathering nearby, some recording the devastation on their phones as dust continued to hang in the air.

Aerial footage reveals the full scale of the disaster, showing damaged and partially buried homes along a riverbank, thick plumes of dust and debris, and the vast swathe of the mountainside that gave way.

Authorities are continuing search and rescue operations as officials assess the damage and monitor the area for the risk of further landslides amid persistent rainfall.