While rescue operations are being carried out on one side of the massive rocks, teams will later need to look beneath them, where they may risk injury if the boulders become unstable and slide, CCTV reported.
Once the search of the surrounding areas is complete, officers will drill into the boulders and fill the holes with explosives to break them apart, it said.
Beyond the deployment of excavators, a CCTV video report showed a search dog barking to alert a rescuer about signs of life.
Volunteers rode on motorbikes to deliver supplies to rescuers and some stranded residents.
Other residents in Pengshui reported that the water supply to their homes was only available at certain intervals.
China’s National Development and Reform Commission on Saturday allocated a relief fund of 30 million yuan (US$4.4 million) to support the restoration of infrastructure and public service facilities following the disaster.
The rain-triggered landslide occurred near a stretch of the Wujiang River, which cuts through karst mountains peppered with small towns and terraces.
Pengshui County is located in the southeast part of Chongqing, bordering the provinces of Hubei and Guizhou.
