Massive landslide smashes into houses trapping people under rubble as urgent rescue operation launched in China

A POWERFUL landslide in China has left buildings crashing to the ground with residents trapped under the rubble. Part of a mountainside collapsed onto a residential area sparking a frantic rescue operation to find survivors. A landslide in China has left buildings crashing to the ground with residents trapped under the ruins Credit: Reuters The landslide was first reported at around 9:08am local time in Chongqing’s Pengshui county Credit: Reuters At least nine people have been pulled from the debris in the city of Chongqing with an unknown number of locals still unaccounted for. China’s Ministry of Emergency Management deployed 100 people to help with the search and rescue effort. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Around 200 fire rescue crew members were also deployed. They declared a level two national emergency response for geological disasters, Xinhua. Locals run from a huge dust cloud after several buildings collapsed Credit: Reuters People look at piles of rubble on a street in Chongqing, China Credit: Reuters All of the survivors were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The landslide was first reported at around 9.08am local time in Chongqing’s Pengshui county. A section of the Wujiang River reportedly broke along the banks and sent rockfall crashing towards the nearby city. Local shop owner, known as Mr Xie, told ABC News: “The situation was quite intense and fierce. Most read in The Sun “It was very scary. Everything is covered in dust, buried underground.” It comes after heavy rain and high winds in Pengshui and the surrounding area in recent days. Ferocious 180mph typhoon winds struck Wenzhou this week and sent a luxury £20million cruise ship toppling over. Last week, almost two million people had to be evacuated from southeastern China Typhoon Bavi approached. The tropical storm would claim 17 lives as it ripped through southern Philippines before making its way to China and causing mudslides. China’s National Meteorological Centre put out an orange typhoon alert, the second highest possible level of danger. Comment now