Rescue crews are working to find survivors after a landslide in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing killed at least eight people and left 34 missing. The disaster occurred Friday morning in Pengshui County on the outskirts of Chongqing municipality.
Massive amounts of rocks and soil washed down a slope, burying more than 10 residential buildings. Ten people were rescued and taken to the hospital, while over 1,100 residents have been relocated. State broadcaster CCTV reported that one of the fallen rocks was estimated to be around 3,000 cubic meters (106,000 cubic feet).
Persistent rain in Pengshui County, with nearly 8 inches recorded at a weather station, has complicated rescue operations. As the rain eased, teams began on-the-ground inspections of the collapsed structures and the riverbank areas. Rescue teams also plan to drill into some of the larger boulders and use explosives to break them apart, according to CCTV.
Search dogs have been deployed, with one video report showing a dog alerting a rescuer to signs of life. The landslide happened near a stretch of the Wujiang River, which flows through a region of karst mountains.
China's National Development and Reform Commission has allocated a relief fund of 30 million yuan (approximately $4.4 million) to support infrastructure restoration and public service facilities affected by the landslide.