Chongqing Landslide: 8 Dead, 34 Missing In China As Xi Jinping Orders Safety Inspections

A landslide in southwest China has left at least eight people dead and 34 others missing, local authorities said on Friday, as rescue operations continued through the day. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for comprehensive safety inspections in the wake of the disaster.

The landslide struck around 9:10 am local time (0110 GMT) in Pengshui County, Chongqing, according to state broadcaster CCTV. More than 800 rescuers were deployed to the site as part of the emergency response.

County leader Ren Xujiang, addressing a press conference, said 18 people who had been trapped were rescued. Of those, eight were pronounced dead. Footage aired by CCTV showed a massive buildup of rocks and debris covering part of a residential and commercial street situated at the base of a mountain in the region.

Additional clips broadcast by CCTV captured residents shouting and fleeing as a cloud of dust engulfed the area. A local official, speaking at a press conference held later on Friday, described the terrain where the landslide occurred as “unpredictable” and steep, warning that hazardous rocks remain along the cliff’s edges.

In response to the disaster, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management announced that the government has allocated 50 million yuan ($7.36 million) in natural disaster relief funds. The funds are intended to support ongoing rescue and relief operations, as well as provide assistance to affected residents.

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Xi has directed authorities to quickly establish the cause of the landslide and to “identify and eliminate geological disaster risks and other potential hazards.”

This latest disaster comes less than two weeks after a separate landslide in northwestern Gansu province, which buried 33 people and killed 21 of them.

[AP Inputs]