On July 17th, a massive mountain collapse occurred in Pengshui Hanjia Street, Pengshui County, Chongqing, burying multiple buildings below and trapping residents. A passing passenger bus was also buried in the disaster. The death toll continued to rise during the rescue operation. As of July 30th, official reports stated that the search for the affected areas of the disaster site had been completed, with 51 confirmed deaths and 10 people missing.
On the evening of July 30th, “Pengshui Release” informed that the search for the affected areas of the disaster site had been completed and efforts would soon be made to restore traffic on the Wujiang Sanqiao Bridge and the order of life in the surrounding areas. Clearing and dredging operations in the Wujiang River were still ongoing.
During this disaster, over 1,100 people were safely evacuated, 10 individuals were rescued (3 of whom have been discharged after treatment), 51 fatalities have been confirmed, and 10 people remain missing. Work to provide comfort to families, support rescue efforts, and arrange for post-disaster relief is ongoing. The disaster response effort has now transitioned into the stage of post-disaster reconstruction.
Due to the Chinese Communist Party’s historical tendency to conceal the true extent of disasters, the actual death toll of the mountain collapse has raised suspicions among observers.
Following the disaster, local resident Chen Jianhua revealed to Epoch Times: “Thirteen buildings collapsed, some residents managed to get out, while others didn’t.” Another resident, Wei Jianzhong, expressed: “More than ten buildings collapsed over a span of tens of meters. Each of these buildings had people living in them, so there could be hundreds trapped inside.”
Additionally, a villager from Datong Town in Pengshui County informed Epoch Times reporters that a morning bus traveling to and from Datong Town passed through the street where the mountain collapse occurred and got buried, with approximately 19 passengers onboard.
On July 27th, Pengshui Release reported that at around 23:52 on the 26th, at operation site C of the Pengshui mountain collapse in Chongqing, wreckage of a missing passenger bus was discovered. Subsequent reports mentioned that human remains were found inside and around the bus wreckage, and DNA testing was being conducted to confirm their identities.