Reconstruction starts after landslide killed 277

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-03 17:19

TAIYUAN -- Reconstruction had started on the debris of a north China landslide that killed 277 and the large-scale search for the victims has stopped, local authorities said on Wednesday.

"After nearly three months of rescue and search on an area of 40 hectares, we have decided to start digging up the wasteland for farming," said Su Jiabang, head of reconstruction headquarters.

The collapse of an unlicensed iron ore dregs retaining pond triggered a massive landslide on September 8 in Xiangfen county of the coal-rich Shanxi Province. The torrent of mud and mining waste buried an outdoor market near a village of more than 1,000 residents.

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Rescuers have recovered 277 bodies from the mud and identified 266 of them by Wednesday. Another four were still missing. The 14 injured treated in the hospital were recovering, Su said.

The investigation found the collapse was due to negligence. The tailings dumping pond was built in violation of regulations and had few safety inspections.

The disaster caused Meng Xuenong, the governor of Shanxi, to resign. A total of 22 local officials were arrested and would be prosecuted on charges of graft and dereliction of duty, said Wang Dexue, deputy director of the State Administration of Work Safety who heads the investigation panel on the disaster.