Photo taken on Nov. 17, 2009 shows the spot of the massive landslide at the Zhangjiaju Village, in Zhangzishan Township of Zhongyang County, in north China's Shanxi Province. Eight infants aged 1 to 4 are among 23 people confirmed dead in Monday's massive landslide that buried part of Zhangjiaju Village in north China's Shanxi Province, local authorities said Tuesday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) Photo Gallery>>>

    　ZHONGYANG, Shanxi, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Eight infants aged 1 to 4 are among 23 people confirmed dead in Monday's massive landslide that buried part of a village in north China's Shanxi Province, local authorities said Tuesday.

    The landslide, covering an area of about 20,000 square meters, swept over six homes at about 10:40 a.m. Monday at the Zhangjiaju Village, in Zhangzishan Township of Zhongyang County.

Experts investigate at the Zhangjiaju Village, the spot of the massive landslide, in Zhangzishan Township of Zhongyang County, in north China's Shanxi Province, Nov. 17, 2009. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) Photo Gallery>>>

    A spokesman with the county government said the last body was recovered early Tuesday and 12 of the dead were male and 11 female.

    The victims were migrant workers at a nearby coal mine and their families. They were from five families from the Qiaojia County, in the southwestern Yunnan Province, the spokesman said.

    More than 300 people had helped in the rescue operation.

    A family of three who lived nearby were saved shortly after the landslide.

    "My wife and I and my daughter, who is not yet 2 months old, were sleeping indoors at that time. All of a sudden, mud flooded in and turned my bed over," said Wang Rongce, 27, a migrant coal miner from northwestern Shaanxi Province, Tuesday.

    "We were pulled out of the mud by several migrant workers from my hometown. We were covered in mud, and my daughter wasn't even able to cry until the mud was washed off," he said.

    His wife, Xu Xia, 20, was still traumatized and sobbing.

    "We're very lucky as we're still alive, although we lost all of our belongings," Wang said.

    Geological experts confirmed Tuesday that the accident was a loess avalanche, a term to describe a collapse of the weakly cemented loess soil.

    Police and officials from the provincial work safety and land and resources authorities are investigating the incident.

At least 3 killed, 20 buried in landslide in north China

    TAIYUAN, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers have found three bodies after a massive landslide buried part of a village in north China's Shanxi Province on Monday.

    About 20 people were believed buried under the debris and two were pulled out alive, said Nie Chunyu, Party chief of Luliang City, who was supervising the rescue operation. Full story

Rescuers search for survivals at Zhangzishan Township in Zhongyang County of north China's Shanxi Province, Nov. 16, 2009. A massive landslide buried 23 villagers in a rural area of Shanxi Province on Monday and 12 have been found dead. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) Photo Gallery>>>