Tragedy has struck China following a landslide that occurred on Friday morning (July 17) in the southwestern part of the country, east of the city of Chongqing. The landslide triggered the collapse of several buildings, according to state media reports.
Municipal official alerted authorities after spotting detached rocks
According to local media, a municipal official from the Pengshui district notified authorities at around 8:00 a.m. on Friday (03:00 Greek time), after detecting that rocks had broken loose from the hillside.
Today’s terrifying visuals as a massive landslide caused multiple buildings to collapse near the Wujiang Three Bridges in Pengshui, Chongqing, China.
Many people are trapped under the rubble as emergency crews conduct a major search and rescue operation. pic.twitter.com/gjhujNpFDA
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) July 17, 2026
According to reports, local authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 60 residents, but the landslide struck at 9:08 a.m. — during the evacuation itself — resulting in some people being buried alive, as state broadcaster CCTV reported. The same network stated that the exact number of people trapped has not yet been confirmed. Nine individuals were pulled from the rubble, according to the official Xinhua news agency, and their conditions are not considered life-threatening. The cause of the landslide has not yet been determined.
‼️On July 17, a mountain‑rock collapse struck Pengshui County, Chongqing, collapsing multiple residential buildings below.After early‑warning rockfall was spotted by community staff, over 60 residents were urgently evacuated.#Chongqing #Pengshui #Landslide #EmergencyRescue pic.twitter.com/ecLkPo4otw
— iChongqing (@iChongqing_CIMC) July 17, 2026
Drone footage shows smoke rising and houses damaged following a landslide in #Pengshui, SW China’s #Chongqing Municipality. https://t.co/8f5mZpEYQ1 pic.twitter.com/gV2Pr8qlQq
— ShanghaiEye🚀official (@ShanghaiEye) July 17, 2026
