Death toll in north China landslide rises to 258
16/9/2008 18:08
Rescuers retrieved four more bodies from a landslide in north China this
morning, pushing the death toll in the Sept. 8 tragedy to 258.
Three bodies
were excavated from a collapsed house and the other was found in the debris
outside, rescuers said.
The four were men whose identities have not yet been
established.
More than 300 rescuers and more than 30 pieces of machinery were
being used in the search for other possible victims in the debris in Xiangfen
County, Shanxi Province. A mudflow burst hit the area on the morning of Sept. 8
after the collapse of an unlicensed iron ore dump.
A huge volume of tailings,
mud and rock swamped a downstream village with more than 1,000 residents,
burying people along with a busy outdoor market.
The State Administration of
Work Safety said 159 bodies had been identified as of today.
Thirty-four
people remained in the hospital and four patients who had been in critical
condition were temporarily upgraded to stable condition.
Compensation of
200,000 yuan (nearly US$29,300) will be paid for each victim, and each person
who was disabled by the accident will get compensation ranging from 50,000 yuan
to 150,000 yuan plus a monthly subsidy of 100 yuan to 300 yuan, according to
disaster-relief policies released by the local government today.
An initial
investigation found the mine collapse was due to negligence.The tailings dump
was built in violation of regulations and had few safety inspections. An
investigation was under way by a State Council (cabinet) investigation
team.
The Council has ordered a nationwide safety check at such sites for
potential problems.
Xinhua
|
