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34 killed in China landslide disaster
Hundreds of people may be missing after a mud slide triggered the collapse of a reservoir of iron ore waste in northern China, burying houses and sweeping away cars in a wall of thick sludge, killing at least 34 people.
- Agencies
- Published: 10:07 September 9, 2008
Beijing: Hundreds of people may be missing after a mud slide triggered the collapse of a reservoir of iron ore waste in northern China, burying houses and sweeping away cars in a wall of thick sludge, killing at least 34 people.
Monday's landslide, caused by torrential rain, injured 35 people at the Tashan iron ore mine in Shanxi province. More than 1,100 police, fire fighters and villagers were hunting for survivors in the rubble, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Xinhua said the number of people missing had yet to be determined. Rescuers clambered over the scene looking for survivors, some using excavators, others their hands.
"We're busy trying to rescue people but it's very hard work with all the mud and rocks," said Hu Yanzai, Communist Party secretary of Chongshi, which is next to the villages that were wiped out.
Xinhua said the flow of mud and rock destroyed a three-storey office building, a market and houses in the valley.
"Witnesses said the flow roared down the valley and washed away the market and the houses in a few minutes," it added.
Top government officials have rushed to the mine to direct rescue efforts.
"Our preliminary investigation found that this accident was caused by illegal enterprises who discharged waste sand into a mine tailings dam," deputy work safety chief Wang Dexue told state television.
"When the dam reached its capacity, it burst. Heavy rain accelerated the process," he said.
Police have detained the mine owner and eight others, Xinhua said.
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