The Ministry of Natural Resources has initiated a Level II emergency response for geological disaster prevention in Chongqing.

This action follows a slope collapse incident in Pengshui County, Chongqing, on July 17, which buried multiple buildings and may have resulted in casualties.

In response to the incident, the Ministry initially activated a Level III emergency response at 10:00 a.m. on July 17, dispatching a work team to the site to guide rescue and relief operations.

By 12:00 p.m., based on the latest developments from the Pengshui slope collapse, the Ministry escalated the emergency response level to Level II. Senior officials are now leading the work team on-site to intensify guidance for the rescue and relief efforts.

The Ministry has directed the Chongqing Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau to immediately dispatch an expert team to the scene. Their tasks include assisting local authorities with personnel search and rescue, providing technical support during emergency operations, and conducting comprehensive inspections, monitoring, early warnings, and preventive measures for similar geological hazards in the area.

Furthermore, the China Geological Survey and the Ministry's Geological Disaster Technical Guidance Center have been instructed to enhance expert deployment, coordination, consultation, and analysis to provide full assistance and guidance for technical support.