Rescue teams in China's southwestern Sichuan province are searching for at least 29 missing people after a massive landslide buried homes and displaced hundreds of residents on Saturday. The disaster, which struck Jinping village in Junlian county, resulted in one confirmed fatality and two injuries, according to state media reports.
Hundreds of emergency personnel, including firefighters and specialized rescue teams, were deployed to the scene by the Ministry of Emergency Management. State broadcaster CCTV reported that two individuals were pulled from the rubble alive, while approximately 200 others were evacuated to safe locations. A local manufacturing facility was also buried under the debris.
Authorities attributed the landslide to recent heavy rainfall and unstable geological conditions, which triggered a massive debris flow. The landslide covered an area 1.2 kilometers (0.7 miles) long and carried more than 100,000 cubic meters (3.5 million cubic feet) of rock and mud, officials said in a news conference on Sunday.
Authorities are still confirming the total number of missing individuals. President Xi Jinping has called for "all-out" search and rescue efforts and stressed the need for careful handling of the aftermath to prevent further disasters, according to Xinhua.
Premier Li Qiang has urged an investigation into potential geological hazards in the region. He has also called for the relocation of residents at risk to safer areas and emphasized the need to prevent secondary disasters, state media reported.
Villagers had previously noticed signs of instability in the region. A local resident told Beijing News that rocks had frequently rolled down the mountain since mid-2024, sometimes producing noises resembling firecrackers. Geologists had inspected the area late last year, according to the report.
State media images from the scene showed a vast torrent of mud and rocks cascading down a steep mountainside, engulfing what was once a small village in the valley below. The landslide, which struck at 11:50 a.m. local time on Saturday, buried at least 10 houses and trapped several residents beneath the debris.
China has allocated 80 million yuan (approximately $11 million) to support rescue operations and disaster relief efforts. The funding will assist emergency response teams and provide aid to displaced residents.
Landslides are a recurring threat in China, particularly in regions prone to heavy rainfall and rapid urban development. Poor construction practices and deforestation can exacerbate the risks. Last year, a landslide in a remote mountainous area of Yunnan province killed dozens of people, highlighting the vulnerability of certain regions to geological disasters.
