China landslide deaths jump to 56

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Rescuers at the Chinese mine

An industrial landslide which swept through a small mining community in central China is now known to have killed 56 people, state media report.

The accident happened early on Monday when a dam holding back sludge at the Tashan iron ore mine in Shanxi province burst after torrential rain.

A torrent of rocks, mud and sludge engulfed a market, a three-storey building and homes, Chinese media say.

Some 1,000 police and villagers searched frantically for survivors.

Initial reports spoke of 26 deaths and hundreds of people feared missing under the landslide, which occurred near Linfen City.

A preliminary investigation showed the landslide was caused by the collapse of a dam used as a retaining wall to enclose tailings from an iron mine, a health and safety official told Chinese TV.

"It is an illegal company that was using the abandoned dump to get rid of its production waste," said Wang Dexue, deputy head of the State Administration of Work Safety.

"The amount stored far exceeded the capacity of the space."