Seven people were killed and one was injured when a passing bus was hit in a landslide in a mountainous county in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Monday.

Pu Yang, secretary of the Miao and Tujia Autonomous County of Pengshui, said that torrential downpour on Sunday night caused a landslide near the highway connecting Pengshui to the Tujia Autonomous County of Shizhu, north to Pengshui.

The landslide happened at 8 AM on Monday 5.4 km away from the seat of Pengshui, when more than 120 cu m of rock fell off from a slope, hitting the bus which was passing through the spot.

Among the seven killed was the bus driver. The injured is now hospitalized.

The exact number of people aboard the bus is still unknown.

Another 200 cu m of rocks are about to fall off the slope and rescuers are taking measures to deal with the emergency, according to Pu.

(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2007)