All-out rescue efforts launched after landslide buries people in Chongqing

China launched an emergency response and dispatched more than 300 rescue personnel after a landslide caused houses to collapse and left people trapped in Southwest China's Chongqing city on Friday.

The landslide occurred at around 9 am near a bridge in Pengshui Miao and Tujia autonomous county, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management. The number of people trapped was being verified.

The ministry activated a Level II national emergency response for geological disasters, and Minister of Emergency Management Zhang Chengzhong led a working group to the site to guide rescue and emergency response operations.

Zhang called for all-out efforts to search for and rescue those trapped, quickly determine the number of people affected, conduct rescue operations in a scientific manner and prevent secondary disasters, the ministry said in a news release.

The ministry dispatched 100 professional rescuers from the engineering emergency rescue center for natural disasters, operated by China Anneng Group, together with rescue equipment.

A total of 206 firefighters and 49 vehicles from the national comprehensive fire and rescue service were also sent to the scene.

On Friday, the National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief separately activated a Level IV national emergency response for disaster relief.

It also sent a working group to the affected area to assess the damage and assist local authorities in providing basic living support for residents affected by the disaster.

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 on Friday.

The supplies include tents, folding beds, tables and chairs, blankets, towel quilts and household emergency kits, and will be used to support rescue operations and the temporary resettlement of affected residents.