Rescue efforts underway after landslide hits China's Chongqing

Rescue efforts have been underway after a landslide struck Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Friday.

The geological disaster saw massive amounts of rock and soil wash downslope at 09:08 (01:08 GMT) on Friday, burying more than 10 residential buildings, while leaving some local residents trapped and unaccounted for.

Ten people had been rescued as of 14:00. All of those rescued are in stable condition with no life-threatening injuries, while more than 1,100 residents living in the vicinity of the disaster site have been evacuated to safety, according to local authorities.

To facilitate risk investigation and prevent secondary hazards, supplies of water, electricity and gas within a 1-kilometer radius around the affected area have been temporarily suspended. Over 800 rescuers are carrying out search and rescue operations at 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.

Rescue efforts underway after landslide hits China's Chongqing

North China's coastal city of Qinhuangdao, a hotspot destination to Russian tourists, has restored its flights connecting Russian cities after a six-year hiatus in a bid to boost tourism.

The air route's first airliner from Russia's Khabarovsk touched down on Saturday at Qinhuangdao's Beidaihe Airport, bringing 98 Russian visitors to the city.

"It's wonderful to have a direct flight," said a Russian tourist.

According to data from the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) cited by Russia's Sputnik in early July, the share of Russian market sales for trips to China in July 2026 more than doubled year-on-year, rising from 2.1 percent to 4.3 percent. China's visa-free policy for Russian citizens continues to drive the surge, with outbound travel from Russia to China maintaining steady growth.

To meet the rising demand, Beidaihe Airport will roll out four more flight routes linking Irkutsk, Blagoveshchensk, Yakutsk, and Vladivostok, as part of its broader push to attract more international visitors.

"We have designed four themed travel itineraries tailored to the different travel preferences and needs of Russian visitors, with the goal of delivering a well-rounded and memorable experience from start to finish," said Liu Dan, deputy director of the Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau of Beidaihe District.

The border inspection station in Qinhuangdao has also optimized its staffing and procedures. It opened Russian-language service windows and an online pre-declaration system combined with rapid on-site verification, significantly reducing waiting time for visa-exempt passengers. Meanwhile, customs authorities have rolled out smart gates and self-service facilities to enable seamless, touchless clearance.

Coastal city in north China restores Russia flights to boost tourism