Rescuers retrieved one more body on Friday from a fatal landslide in north China's Shanxi Province, pushing the confirmed death toll in the Sept. 8 tragedy to 262.
A man's body was found at noon in a devastated restaurant near the collapsed iron ore retaining pond in Xiangfen County, rescuers said.
The man's identity had been confirmed, they said.
Meanwhile, authorities revised the number of dead or missing from 270 to 268 as two people were each registered twice.
The unlicensed iron ore dregs retaining pond burst on the morning of Sept. 8, discharging a huge torrent of tailings, mud and rock that devastated a downstream village, an office building and a busy outdoor market.
An initial investigation found the collapse was due to negligence. The tailings dumping pond was built in violation of regulations and had few safety inspections.
Zhang Genhu, Shanxi Work Safety Administration director, said on Thursday all other iron ore mills in the province should suspend operation for safety checks of their retaining ponds, except state-owned facilities that operated on the precondition of safety.
A special campaign to crackdown on illegal retaining ponds would also be carried out within the year, he said, adding all those that were unlicensed or built in violation of regulations would be closed.
The number of retaining ponds in the province was 553. In 2002, the figure was more than 800 but had been reduced after six years of safety improvements, according to the administration.
(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2008)