The search goes on at this hour for people buried in a massive landslide in southwestern China. The incident was triggered by a rock collapse in Ganluo County of Sichuan Province Wednesday afternoon. 17 people are still unaccounted for, and hopes of finding them alive are starting to dim. CGTN's Yang Jinghao reports from the site.

A powerful collapse complete with large rocks and mud rolling down this mountain. Eleven people working at the foot of the hill escaped, while another 17 were buried in an instant. At that moment, they were trying to clear all the obstructions from rainstorm-triggered landslides on a section of railroad. Now, search and rescue operations are underway.

YANG JINGHAO GANLUO COUNTY, SICHUAN "It's been more than two days since the disaster happened. So far, no major progress has been made. For the rescuers, their priority is still trying every possible way to search for survivors."

Their efforts now face multiple challenges. One problem is the subsequent disasters. Over the past few days, several landslides have occurred at the site, repeatedly putting the rescue on hold. And the extremely hot weather has also hampered efforts.

HUO JIANXIN RESCUER "We will spare all our efforts to search for life. We won't give up as long as there's a glimmer of hope."

Local authorities have also strengthened their monitoring of any potential hazards with patrol teams and related equipment put in place. This radar scans any movement of a mountain with high precision.

REN GUIWEN WORKER, CHINA ACADEMY OF SAFETY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY "The data we collect from the radar will be provided to the rescue headquarters, which can assist them with working out the rescue plans more scientifically."

Southwestern China is a region of fragile geological conditions. Natural disasters such as rock collapses and landslides have frequently happened and caused massive losses. Experts say local governments need to take more scientific precautions in upholding the safety of local residents and the operation of public facilities. It is not clear when service will resume on the disrupted section of the trunk railroad which links Chengdu with the capital city of Yunnan Province – Kunming. Yang Jinghao, CGTN, Ganluo County, Sichuan Province.