Dramatic footage captured the terrifying moment a landslide smashed into residential buildings, sending locals fleeing in panic as a cloud of dust filled the air.
Videos showed a quiet street scene turning to chaos in seconds.
A large section of a cliff face broke away and flattened nearby buildings.
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A vast plume of dust rose rapidly behind the cityscape as locals fled in all directions.
The landslide happened near the Wujiang Three Bridges area of Hanjia sub-district in Pengshui County, China, earlier this morning (17 Jul).
According to reports, community grid workers had earlier spotted scattered falling rocks around 8am.
They issued a rapid warning and began moving over 60 residents to safety.
The main collapse struck during the evacuation.
Homes were buried under tonnes of rock and earth and several multi-storey residential buildings were destroyed in the sudden slide.
Local emergency officials confirmed multiple homes were hit and people were trapped.
Rescue teams arrived at the scene within minutes.
So far, eight trapped people have been pulled out alive but it is feared more may still be buried under the debris.
Heavy machinery has been brought in to clear rubble and reach any remaining victims.
The Emergency Management Ministry has launched a national geological disaster level two emergency response.
The National Disaster Reduction and Relief Committee has also activated a level four disaster relief response.
Eight thousand pieces of relief supplies, including tents, folding beds, blankets and emergency kits, are being delivered to the area, as reported by Need To Know.
Further landslides remain a risk.
No deaths have been confirmed yet as rescue operations continue.
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