Rescue operations have been called off for two people missing
after a landslide at a quarry in east China's Anhui Province on Saturday claimed the lives
of four other workers, said the province's top safety official.
"Rescue operations had to be suspended after another landslide
hit the quarry at 2:00?PM on Sunday," said Cheng Chuanru,
director of the Anhui Provincial Administration of Work Safety,
"there is no hope for the two missing people."
The accident occurred at about 4:00?PM at a quarry of the
Antai Gravel Co., Ltd. in Shushan Town of Wuwei County, burying
seven workers. Four were confirmed dead on Saturday night and
another was being treated for injuries.
Cheng said his team would attempt to recover the bodies after
geologists approve a safe work plan.
More than 10,000 cubic meters of rock and mud slid off the
Wulong mountain following recent rainstorms, said Cheng.
More than 300 people had joined the rescue operation, Cheng
said.
Initial investigations show that the quarry did not have a
safety certificate but was in the process of obtaining one when the
accident occurred.
(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2006)