BEIJING, July 17 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Natural Resources on Friday raised its geological disaster emergency response to Level II from Level III following a rainfall-induced landslide in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality that buried multiple houses and posed risks of casualties.
The ministry has dispatched a working team to the site to provide guidance regarding rescue and relief efforts.
The landslide occurred at 9:08 a.m. on Friday in Hanjia sub-district of Pengshui, bringing down multiple residential buildings at the foot of the mountain. The exact number of people still buried is being further verified.
The ministry has also ordered local planning and natural resources authorities to send experts to the site to provide technical support for search and rescue operations, and to carry out comprehensive geological disaster inspections.
China has a four-tier emergency response system for geological disasters, with Level I being the most severe. The Level II response is activated for major risks involving threats to residents, buried structures or missing persons.
Ten people had been rescued as of 2 p.m. on Friday, according to local authorities. ■
