Disasters & Incidents
Southwest China landslide kills at least eight and leaves 34 missing
A landslide in southwest China killed at least eight people and left 34 missing on Friday, local authorities said, as rescue work continued in Chongqing's Pengshui County.
The landslide happened at about 9:10 am local time, or 0110 GMT, according to state broadcaster CCTV. More than 800 rescuers were sent to the site.
County leader Ren Xujiang told a press conference that 18 trapped people were rescued. Eight of them were pronounced dead.
CCTV footage showed a large mass of rocks and dirt covering part of a residential and commercial street at the bottom of a mountain. Other clips broadcast by CCTV showed people shouting and running from a cloud of dust.
A local official told a late Friday press conference that the area where the landslide happened has unpredictable steep terrain. The official said dangerous rocks still remained along the sides of the cliff.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management said the government allocated 50 million yuan, or $7.36 million, in natural disaster relief funds to support rescue and relief work and help affected residents.
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged authorities to quickly determine the cause of the disaster and to identify and remove geological disaster risks and other potential hazards.
The Chongqing landslide came less than two weeks after another landslide in northwestern Gansu province buried 33 people, 21 of whom were killed.
Update
County leader Ren Xujiang said 18 trapped people were rescued and eight of them were pronounced dead.
CCTV footage showed rocks and dirt covering part of a residential and commercial street at the bottom of a mountain, and people running from a dust cloud.
A local official said the area has unpredictable steep terrain and dangerous rocks still remain along the cliff sides.
The government allocated 50 million yuan, or $7.36 million, in natural disaster relief funds for rescue, relief and assistance to affected residents.
Xi Jinping urged authorities to quickly determine the cause and identify and remove geological disaster risks and other hazards.
The source notes that another landslide in Gansu province less than two weeks earlier buried 33 people, 21 of whom were killed.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 15:19:09 UTC.
Update
The landslide happened in Chongqing's Pengshui County.
The landslide occurred around 9:10 am local time, or 0110 GMT.
More than 800 rescuers were deployed to the site, according to CCTV.
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged comprehensive inspections while rescue work continued.
Local authorities said the landslide killed at least eight people and left 34 missing.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 14:52:48 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The cause of the landslide had not been determined in the source.
Rescue efforts were still ongoing, and 34 people were reported missing.
Source
AFP news report published on .