8 dead, 34 missing after mountain collapse hits China's Chongqing

Eight people have been confirmed dead and 34 others remain missing after a rainfall-induced mountain collapse occurred along a section of the Wujiang River in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Friday, local authorities said, reported Xinhua.

Ten people have been rescued, and search and rescue operations are underway, according to a press briefing held on Friday night.

The geological disaster occurred at 9:08 a.m. on Friday in the Hanjia sub-district of Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County in Chongqing, burying more than 10 residential buildings, while leaving some local residents trapped and unaccounted for.

China activated a Level-II national emergency response for geological disasters, the Ministry of Emergency Management said. A ministry official led a work team to the site to guide rescue and emergency response operations.

China Anneng Construction Group, a state-owned engineering rescue force, has dispatched 110 professional rescuers, including engineering and geological experts, along with 50 sets of detection, search and rescue equipment to support the disaster relief operation in Pengshui.

Chongqing's fire brigade, meanwhile, has deployed more than 400 professional rescuers from eight firefighting units, together with communications and medical support teams.