At least eight people have lost their lives and 34 remain missing after a landslide in the municipality of Chongqing, in central China. The incident, caused by the heavy rains that are hitting the region, has been confirmed by local authorities, who have also indicated that nearly a dozen people have been rescued from several buildings that collapsed due to the landslide.
The landslide occurred around 09:00 hours (local time) in the town of Hanjia and caused the collapse of nearly ten blocks of housing. More than 800 rescue personnel have been mobilized immediately to work in the affected area.
The authorities of Pengshui County provided the latest victim count after emergency teams accessed the disaster area with excavators to remove the enormous amount of debris. These remains have covered an important road in the town located on the slope of a mountain, according to the official news agency Xinhua.
More than 1,100 residents have already been evacuated from the area, known for its steep and changing topography. In addition, the supply of water, electricity, and gas has been suspended in order to prevent new incidents during the search and rescue operations, in which more than 800 people are participating.
The Ministry of Emergency Management has activated level 2 of the national response to geological disasters to address the situation and has announced a relief package of 50 million yuan aimed at supporting the affected residents.
On the other hand, Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged to clarify the origin of the landslide, "learn from what happened" and "thoroughly eliminate possible geological risks and other potential dangers."