BEIJING, July 17 (Xinhua) -- China activated a Level-II national emergency response for geological disasters after a landslide struck southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, causing houses to collapse and leaving people trapped, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Friday.

An aerial drone photo taken on July 17, 2026 shows rescuers working at the site of a rainfall-induced landslide along a section of the Wujiang River in Southwest China's Chongqing. (Photo: Xinhua)

The geological disaster saw massive amounts of rock and soil wash downslope at 9:08 a.m. on Friday, burying more than 10 residential buildings, while leaving some local residents trapped and unaccounted for. Nine people have so far been rescued, and none of them sustained life-threatening injuries, according to local authorities in Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County in Chongqing.

A ministry official led a work team to the site to guide rescue and emergency response operations.

The ministry ordered rescuers to make every effort to search for those trapped, quickly ascertain the number of people trapped, carry out rescue operations in a scientific manner, and guard against secondary disasters.

It dispatched 100 professional rescuers from a natural disaster rescue center operated by China Anneng Group, along with rescue equipment. A total of 206 personnel and 49 vehicles from China's national comprehensive fire and rescue service were also deployed to the site.

The National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief activated a Level-IV national disaster relief emergency response and sent a work team to assess the situation and assist local authorities in ensuring the basic living needs of affected residents.

The commission's office and the ministry, together with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, allocated 8,000 items of central disaster relief supplies to Chongqing, including tents, folding beds and family emergency kits.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management, meanwhile, have allocated 50 million yuan (7.36 million U.S. dollars) in central government natural disaster relief funds to support emergency rescue and relief operations as well as provide assistance to affected residents.

The funds will prioritize search and rescue efforts, hazard elimination and risk mitigation, inspections for hidden dangers of secondary disasters, relocation and resettlement of displaced people, and repair of damaged or collapsed housing, in order to minimize disaster losses and casualties.

A professional rescue team consisting of mine and tunnel emergency units was sent to the site. The team features 75 rescuers, 21 vehicles and 438 sets of equipment, including life-detection gear, slope radar and emergency command systems.