Recovery teams have used explosive devices to break up boulders as the search continues
Credit: He Penglei/China News Service/VCG via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- The death toll has risen to eleven people and dozens still remain missing after a landslide destroyed residential buildings in a city in southwestern China on July 17
- Recovery teams have had to use explosive devices to navigate the large boulders that came down the mountainside
- Ten people were also hurt in the natural disaster
The number of dead has risen to 11, and dozens remain missing after a catastrophic landslide swallowed residential buildings in southwestern China last week.
After a week of grueling search efforts, Chinese state media reported that the number of fatalities had increased from eight to 11, and 50 people have yet to be located after part of a mountainside gave way in the city of Chongqing on Friday, July 17, CNN, Reuters and the Associated Press reported.
“After multiple rounds of life detection and search, no signs of life remain,” Xinhua, a state-run news agency, announced on Thursday, July 23, per Reuters.
Pengshui County had experienced heavy rainfall before the deadly collapse that sent at least 18,000 cubic meters of rocks and debris onto more than 10 buildings, causing them to collapse on the morning of July 17, NBC News previously reported. As first responders began their urgent search, they found 10 injured people, according to the AP.
Days later, specialized crews are still trying to locate the remains of the missing and have employed explosives because large boulders have made the recovery effort “extremely difficult,” Reuters reported, citing state media.
Images from the scene highlight the complexity of search efforts. Located on the edge of the Wujiang River, the debris extends from the mountainside and into the water below. Photos shared by the outlets show neighboring buildings sheared in half. Other buildings have been destroyed by the weight of rocks that came from the mountain and are no longer visible.
Credit: He Penglei/China News Service/VCG via Getty
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The landslide is far from the first to occur in the country, which is prone to them. Over the past 10 years, approximately 294 people have died in China following major landslides, Reuters reported.
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