Road collapses after heavy rain in Chongqing

Continuous heavy rainfall in recent days likely led to the collapse of a section of road within a residential area of Chongqing's Wanzhou district, the local government said.

On Monday, some people broke the news on social media that a section of road in the Jinxiu Jiangnan community collapsed at about 10 am. Residents nearby heard cracking sounds and saw exposed road foundations, which raised public concern.

The local government launched an emergency effort to evacuate the residents of Buildings 6 and 7 of the community and resettle them.

So far, no casualties have been reported, the Wanzhou housing and urban-rural construction committee said in a news release. Related departments are carrying out safety inspections.

After a preliminary evaluation, authorities said the dangerous situation was likely caused by saturation of the soil as a result of continuous heavy rainfall. Water decreases the shear strength of soil and makes it unstable.