No survivors, bodies found after Tibet landslide

MAIZHOKUNGGAR, Tibet Autonomous Region - Rescuers have not yet found survivors or bodies 28 hours after a massive landslide buried 83 miners at a gold mine in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, authorities said on Saturday.

Rescuers work at the scene of the landslide in Maizhokunggar county of Lhasa, Tibet on March 30. [Photo/Xinhua]

A spokesman for the regional government said at a press conference at the site that rescue work was continuing.

The landslide happened at about 6 am in Maizhokunggar county of Lhasa, the regional capital. The victims were workers from Tibet Huatailong Mining Development Co Ltd, a subsidiary of the China National Gold Group Corporation.

As the site is at an altitude of more than 4,600 meters, most rescuers have been suffering from slight altitude sickness, according to one member of the group. Further minor landslides have hampered their efforts. And temperatures as low as minus three degrees Celsius have also affected the sniffer dogs' senses of smell.

He said the miners' survival chances were slim due to the scale of the landslide.

The affected area is 3 km wide, covered with about 2 million cubic meters of mud, rock and debris, a Xinhua reporter said from the disaster site.

Related stories:

Chinese leaders urge trapped workers rescue

83 buried in Tibet mine area landslide