Rescuers search for survivors in houses hit by mud-rock flow at the Tashan Mine in Xiangfen County under Linfen City of north China's Shanxi Province. Eight more deaths were reported Tuesday morning in north China's Shanxi Province, bringing the death toll from the rain-triggered mud-rock flow that caused the collapse of a warehouse to 34, the local rescue headquarters said on Tuesday.  (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    TAIYUAN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- A further eight deaths were reported on Tuesday morning in north China's Shanxi Province, bringing the toll from a rain-triggered mud-rock flow to 34, the local rescue headquarters said.

    Another 35 injured were being treated by five experts and more than 150 medical personnel. Most had suffered fractures and were in stable conditions.

    Among the five seriously injured workers, four were transferred to Linfen People's Hospital after operations. But one patient suffering necrosis on the right leg was still in danger as of 8 p.m. on Tuesday, doctors said.

    An initial investigation revealed the accident's cause was "the unlicensed Tashan mine operated illegally and the stored waste iron ore dregs had surpassed the capacity of the holding pond," said to the rescue headquarters.

    Police said the mine owner and eight others related to the accident were detained. Several officials, including the local head of the work safety administration, village Party secretary and village chief have been sacked for failing to supervise safety.

    The accident occurred around 8 a.m. on Monday in a pond holding waste ore dregs of the Tashan Mine in Xiangfen County, Linfen City, which was soaked by torrential rain.

    A rescue team of more than 1,100 police, firefighters and people were searching through the rubble, said Ding Wenlu, the rescue headquarters chief.

    But rough terrain, poor telecommunications and continuous rainfall had hampered the rescue effort.

    The mud-rock flow also destroyed a three-storey office building, a market and some village houses in the valley.

    Witness said the flow roared down the valley and washed away the market and houses in a few minutes.

    There are several other ore mines in Xiangfen. The staff there are mostly migrant workers from Shanxi, Chongqing and the central Hubei Province, which makes it difficult to identify the victims, rescuers said.

    The specific number of people trapped underneath the rubble is still under investigation.

Rescuers search for survivors in houses hit by mud-rock flow at the Tashan Mine in Xiangfen County under Linfen City of north China's Shanxi Province.  (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

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