CHONGQING, July 19. /Dunyo IA/. A landslide triggered by heavy rainfall in the south-western Chinese city of Chongqing has claimed the lives of eight people, while 34 others remain missing, reports Dunyo IA correspondent, citing Xinhua news agency.

According to local authorities, rescue teams have pulled 10 people from the debris. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.

The landslide struck on Friday morning in Hanjia Township, located in Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County. More than 10 residential houses were buried under the mass of earth. Some residents were trapped, while the whereabouts of others remain unknown.

In response to the disaster, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level II emergency response for geological disasters and dispatched a special task force to coordinate rescue operations in the affected area.

The China Anneng Construction Group, the country’s state-owned engineering and rescue corporation, has been deployed to assist in the emergency response. A team of 110 specialists, including engineers and geologists, along with 50 pieces of search-and-rescue equipment, has been sent to the disaster zone.

In addition, more than 400 firefighters and rescue personnel from eight Chongqing fire and rescue units, as well as communications and medical support teams, are participating in the operation.