Southwest China Rescuers Mobilize Amid Severe Weather to Save Landslide–Stranded Residents

Hundreds of rescue workers are racing against approaching thunderstorms in southwestern China following a landslide that struck Pengshui County, Chongqing, early Friday morning, which demolished buildings and left residents trapped beneath mud and debris.

The incident is part of a series of events triggered by heavy rainfall and extreme weather across China in recent weeks, prompting senior rescue officials from Beijing to be dispatched to the site.

Local officials in the Hanjia subdistrict of Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County, Chongqing, observed intermittent rockfalls and issued an emergency alert around 8 a.m. on Friday, promptly evacuating more than 60 residents, as reported by the mainland news outlet thepaper.cn.

The report indicated that about an hour later, a large landslide crashed through several homes, trapping residents who were attempting to evacuate. By noon, nine individuals had been rescued, and none sustained life‑threatening injuries, according to the outlet.

The county government stated that rescue operations remained ongoing and any updates regarding casualties would be released later.

China’s Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level 2 national emergency response for geological disasters around noon on Friday, deploying a working group headed by Minister Zhang Chengzhong to oversee rescue operations at the scene, according to Xinhua.

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