State Council Launches National Investigation into Fatal Chongqing Landslide

China's State Council has formed a national investigation and evaluation team to probe a major landslide that struck Hanjia Street in Chongqing's Pengshui County on July 17, 2026, causing significant casualties. Led by the Ministry of Emergency Management alongside five other central ministries and the Chongqing municipal government, the team held its first plenary meeting on August 4 in Pengshui. The panel will conduct a full-chain review of disaster prevention, early warning, and emergency response, while opening a public hotline for information until August 31.

The direct intervention of the State Council and the involvement of seven top-level government entities underscore the severe impact of the Pengshui collapse. Beyond determining immediate technical triggers, national-level disaster investigations in China serve to assign administrative accountability and drive systemic upgrades in geological hazard prevention across flood-prone mountainous regions.

China's State Council has established an inter-agency investigation and evaluation team to probe a major landslide that occurred in Hanjia Street, located in Chongqing's Pengshui County, state news agency Xinhua reported on August 4. The disaster, which took place on July 17, resulted in severe casualties in the mountainous southwestern municipality. The high-level investigative team is spearheaded by the Ministry of Emergency Management, with direct participation from six other major central and local government entities. These include the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Transport, the China Meteorological Administration, and the Chongqing Municipal People's Government. The probe was launched pursuant to relevant national laws and regulations, following instructions issued by President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang alongside other senior central leaders. On August 4, the investigation team convened its first plenary session in Pengshui County to formally initiate its work. Wang Kun, a member of the Ministry of Emergency Management's Party Committee and head of the China Earthquake Administration, serves as the leader of the team and presided over the inaugural meeting. Before discussions began, all participants stood in silent tribute to honor the victims of the landslide. During the meeting, Wang outlined the scope, schedule, and operating standards for the panel's inquiry. Officials stressed that the team will adhere to principles of scientific rigor, legal compliance, factual truthfulness, and practical efficacy. The evaluation will systematically reconstruct the entire progression of the landslide, pinpoint its underlying physical and human causes, and conduct a full-chain review of how local authorities managed disaster prevention, hazard monitoring, and emergency rescue operations. To facilitate public participation, the State Council panel announced the opening of a dedicated hotline (023-78897616) operating through August 31 for citizens to submit relevant reports and evidence. Furthermore, central authorities instructed local government departments across the country to reinforce safety responsibilities, deepen efforts to identify and eliminate geological hazard risks, and upgrade monitoring and early-warning mechanisms to protect lives and property during high-risk weather periods.