By Gu Qing’er & Li Qihua 12/09/08
Local residents say more than a thousand could be dead after the collapse of a mine waste reservoir in China, but officials are saying only 178 people have died so far. The landslide buried several villages and a market place in Linfen City, Shanxi Province on 8 September.
Local resident, Mr. Miao, told The Epoch Times, “The collapsed waste reservoir is over 100 meters above the villages and market place, people below were buried within seconds and could not be found. Should it have happened at night, the death toll would be even higher.”
Local resident Ms. Duan said, “Over a thousand died, and they were still digging [on September 9].”
When asked if there were survivors, she said, “No, it was sand everywhere. There were no survivors. They dug during the day until 8 or 9 pm. There were several machines digging, but only bodies were found. The mining work and production have been halted. The county chief has been fired.”
The official report states the landslide was caused by a rainstorm collapsing the waste reservoir—which belongs to the local Xinta Mining Corporation. However, many local Internet users disagreed, saying no rain fell that day at all.
Shanxi Province meteorology information notes that there was no rain in the county for nine days prior to the disaster, and only 1.5 millimeters in the 24-hour period leading up to the collapse.
Ms. Qing from neighbor town countered on the authority’s claim, “The collapse has nothing to do with the rain. The reservoir burst, the water and sand came down and killed people. There were many people there since 7:50 am. Few survived. Many entire families including both elderly and children died there. Many miners died in the disaster, too.”
The villages buried under the landslide have been blocked off by authorities and an eyewitness said that the rescue team have slim hopes of finding survivors.
Mr. Chang from neighboring Taosi Town said, “The situation was serious, families were looking all over to find their loved ones, more than one thousand people died or were missing. The area has been sealed off, and no one is permitted to enter.”
Hong Kong Mingpao quoted local villager Wei Guangfei, saying the buried trade market can hold up to a thousand people. Villagers from Yunhe Village, Hejiazhuang, Jianjiagou, Wolong, etc. all trade there. The landslide covers an area of 3 square meters, and the possibility of survival is very slim.
The disaster occurred on the last day of the trading market (Taosi Town, Xiangfen County, Linfen City), September 8, 2008. The Mid-Autumn Festival period meant that a greater number of people were attending the market that day.
Ms. Chang said, “It is a man-made disaster, this 60 to 70 meter high dam was not well-constructed. The trade market is directly below it. It should not have been built above a populated trade market.”
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