Explosives Deployed to Rescue Landslide Survivors in China

BEIJING: Rescue operations in southwestern China employed controlled detonations on Monday to dismantle heavy boulders obstructing access to 34 individuals reported missing since a torrential landslide three days prior in a region renowned for its natural landscapes.
China, ranking among the world’s most landslide-prone nations, experienced eight fatalities in Friday’s incident in Penghui county, approximately 270 km (168 miles) from Chongqing’s urban core. The Monday operation, captured in live footage by state broadcaster CCTV, marked entry into a “deep rescue phase,” though no immediate updates were provided.
The effort aligned with President Xi Jinping’s directive for scientifically organized search and rescue missions, alongside a prompt investigation into the landslide’s origins.
Authorities relocated over 1,100 residents following the landslide in Penghui, a county of 500,000 people where many settlements are situated on steep slopes along the Wujian River.
Post-disaster imagery and photos depicted a collapsed mountain flank plunging into the river, severing the main thoroughfare of the narrow, hillside village.
Authorities dispatched teams to assess concealed geological hazards and monitor secondary disaster risks, per Xinhua’s Saturday report.
With heavy to torrential rain predicted across multiple provinces, officials urged enhanced protective measures in high-risk zones, particularly those affected by saturated groundwater and ongoing construction.
CCTV reported Monday that eight small and medium rivers in Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Anhui, and Shanghai exceeded flood warning thresholds.
Persistent summer rainfall, combined with rapid urbanization, construction projects, and recurring tectonic activity—key drivers of natural disasters in China, where 60% of the terrain comprises mountains, hills, and plateaus—have exacerbated risks.
Within the last decade, at least 294 people have perished in five major landslides nationwide. The deadliest case claimed over 70 lives after a December 2015 landslide at a construction site in Shenzhen’s southern tech district.

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