State Council forms task force to investigate Chongqing landslide

The State Council, China's Cabinet, has established a task force to investigate a landslide in Chongqing on July 17 that caused major casualties, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Tuesday.

The rainfall-induced disaster struck at 9:08 am on July 17 in Hanjia sub-district of Pengshui Miao and Tujia autonomous county, along a section of the Wujiang River. More than 10 residential buildings were buried.

According to the latest information released by local authorities on Thursday, the death toll has risen to 51, with 10 people still missing.

The investigation team, led by the Ministry of Emergency Management, includes officials from the ministries of natural resources, public security, housing and urban-rural development, and transport, as well as the China Meteorological Administration and the Chongqing municipal government.

The task force held its first meeting on Tuesday in Pengshui county, where the disaster occurred. Wang Kun, head of the team and a senior Party official at the Ministry of Emergency Management, chaired the meeting and outlined the investigation plan. Participants observed a moment of silence for the victims before the meeting began.

According to the ministry, the investigation will be carried out in a scientific, law-based and fact-based manner. It will determine the cause of the landslide, assess the responsibilities of those involved in accordance with the law, and review the entire emergency response process.

The meeting also called for intensified patrols in areas vulnerable to geological disasters, stronger monitoring and early warning systems, and enhanced measures to safeguard public safety.

The ministry said a public hotline, 023-78897616, will be open from 8 am to 8 pm through the end of this month to receive information related to the investigation. A postal mailbox has also been set up in Pengshui county to accept public submissions during the same period.