Death Toll Rises to 17 in N. China Landslide

Rescuers recovered six bodies at the site of a landslide on Friday, pushing the death toll from the tragedy in north China's Shanxi Province to 17.

The bodies were found as of 5:30 p.m. in rocks after being buried for nearly two months since Aug. 1, when a landslide toppled a waste dump of a local iron mine and buried Sigou Village in Loufan County in the suburbs of the provincial capital Taiyuan.

At least 28 people remain missing.

The exact number of people trapped remained unknown because most are migrants and not registered at the public security bureau, so their absence would not be noticed.

The government had offered 9.87 million yuan (1.44 million U.S. dollars) in total compensation to the 45 families of the victims and the missing, and 4.36 million yuan to other households suffering economic losses in the tragedy.

A team sent by the State Council, China's Cabinet, was investigating the landslide, which had initially been played down by local authorities.

Investigation into the cause of the accident is also underway.