CCTV footage showed part of the hill collapsing onto a group of houses on the banks of the river (AP Photo)
Several people were trapped after a landslide hit Pingshui County in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality on Friday, burying residential buildings and triggering a large-scale rescue operation, state media reported.State broadcaster CCTV said a community worker noticed rocks falling from a hill at around 8 a.m. local time and issued an emergency warning. Authorities immediately began evacuating more than 60 residents, but the landslide occurred at 9.08 a.m., trapping many people before the evacuation was completed.Officials are still verifying the number of people trapped under the rubble. Xinhua reported that nine people were rescued from under the rubble, and none of them suffered life-threatening injuries.
Search and rescue operations are still continuing.CCTV footage showed part of the hill collapsing onto a cluster of riverside homes, sending rocks and debris falling onto buildings as residents fled in thick clouds of dust. A video clip verified by Reuters showed the moment the hill collapsed, scattering debris across the road and forcing passing vehicles and a motorcyclist to stop. The cause of the landslide was not immediately known.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has activated a Level 2 emergency response and sent a 100-member rescue team to the site. The ministry said that 206 firefighters and rescue personnel, supported by 49 emergency vehicles, were deployed to assist in the operation.
