BEIJING, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - At least 56 people have been found dead in northern China and hundreds are missing following a landslide that caused waste from an iron ore mine to engulf a valley, the Xinhua news agency said Tuesday.
The accident occurred early Monday when torrential rains caused a pond containing tailings from the mine to overflow in north China's Shanxi Province. The waste destroyed a market, a three-storey office building and several homes within minutes, according to eyewitnesses.
Chinese authorities earlier reported that 34 people were dead and 35 injured.
A rescue operation involving 150 medical personnel and more than 1,100 police officers, firefighters and local volunteers is in progress.
Initial reports quoted rescuers as saying that "the unlicensed Tashan mine was operating illegally and the stored waste iron ore dregs had surpassed the capacity of the holding pond."
