More bodies found in China mine collapse; 48 missing

Rescuers with backhoes and bulldozers dug through tons of earth and rubble Thursday for 48 people missing after a landslide buried an open-pit mine in northern China.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that the confirmed death toll in the disaster rose to five.

Conditions in the area remain dangerous, and the search had to be suspended for several hours because of a second landslide at the gigantic facility in Inner Mongolia's Alxa League.

On Thursday afternoon, more than a dozen bulldozers, trucks, SUVs and fire engines were seen passing through a remote police checkpoint about 15 miles southwest of the mine.

Nearly all personnel were stopped by police and checked for entry approvals before being allowed to proceed along the road leading to the mine.

A police officer said only those with government approval would be allowed access to the area. She said people living close to the mine had been sent to stay in a nearby town.

Security was also tight at another checkpoint in the neighboring region of Ningxia, 9 miles east of the mine, with dozens of officers inspecting every vehicle that sought to pass in either direction.

Cranes and other pieces of heavy equipment could be seen, along with covered trucks. It was unclear what the trucks were carrying.

Rescuers used heavy digging equipment and cameras that could snake down into the debris, along with thermal imagers and equipment to detect vital signs, Chang Zhigang, the head of the rescue operation, told reporters Thursday.

Crews were using extreme caution to avoid more secondary disasters, Chang said.

“We will continue to increase the rescue force, race against time, and do our best to search and rescue the lives of every trapped person,” he said.

Police are investigating the cause of the collapse and some people have been detained, Chang said.

“We will publicize the result of the investigation in due course,” he said.