CHONGQING, China — A massive, rain-triggered landslide tore down a mountain slope in southwestern China on Friday morning, July 17, 2026, burying an undetermined number of people and demolishing multiple downhill residential buildings.

The disaster struck at approximately 9:08 AM local time along a section of the Wujiang River in Hanjia Subdistrict, located within Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County. The violent collapse sent tons of rock, earth, and debris crashing directly into a cluster of riverside homes and businesses, completely flattening over ten buildings.

Tragically, the landslide occurred right in the middle of a frantic emergency evacuation. The disaster could have been far worse if not for the quick thinking of a local community worker. Around 8:00 AM—just an hour before the main collapse—the worker spotted scattered rocks falling from the hillside and immediately raised the alarm.

Authorities reacted swiftly to the warning by ordering more than 60 residents to flee the immediate hazard zone. However, as families were actively gathering their belongings and scrambling to escape, the mountainside gave way. While dozens managed to make it out safely, an unconfirmed number of residents were caught in the path of the roaring debris and buried beneath the rubble.

As of Friday afternoon, search and rescue teams have successfully pulled nine survivors from the wreckage. According to China's state media, none of those rescued are currently in life-threatening condition. However, the exact number of people still trapped remains dangerously uncertain.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has activated a Level-2 emergency response, dispatching a specialized 100-member disaster team along with over 200 fire and rescue personnel and dozens of heavy vehicles to the disaster site.

On-Scene Realities: Ground footage shows orange-clad rescuers using excavators and delicate hand-digging tools to comb through massive slabs of rock. The operations are incredibly perilous, heavily hindered by highly unstable terrain and the looming, continuous threat of secondary landslides.

The sheer volume of the landslide didn't just target homes; it radically disrupted the surrounding infrastructure. Power poles were instantly snapped and buried, knocking out local electricity grids.

To prevent secondary hazards like gas explosions or water contamination, officials have enforced a mandatory 1-kilometer (0.6-mile) exclusion zone around the landslide site, temporarily suspending all water, power, and gas supplies. More than 1,100 people from adjacent areas have been forced to evacuate their homes as a precaution. Government agencies have begun rushing over 8,000 disaster relief items—including tents, folding beds, and emergency kits—to the displaced population as the search for survivors continues into the night.