China landslide: Police raid offices of company that managed Shenzhen site

A deluge of mud and construction waste buried 33 buildings at an industrial park

Rescuers search for potential survivors near a damaged buildings following a landslide at an industrial park in Shenzhen (AP)

Chinese authorities have raided the offices of the company that managed the landfill site where a mudslide left 76 people missing, feared dead.

Police were seen at the premises of Shenzhen Yixianglong Investment Development today.

At least one body has been recovered from the rubble after a deluge of mud and construction waste from the site buried 33 buildings at an industrial park in the boomtown of Shenzhen on Sunday.

Rescue workers used sensors, drones and excavators at the 94-acre disaster site in an effort to reach possible survivors trapped under mud up to 10m deep. Overnight, the area was lit with floodlights to allow uninterrupted rescue operations to carry on.

It was the second major man-made disaster in China in four months. With growing worries about China’s industrial safety standards, Premier Li Keqiang ordered an investigation within hours into the incident.

Authorities had warned that the site, which was supposed to be temporary, was unsafe. In July, the Guangming New District City Management Bureau said that it had asked the management company to clarify who was in charge of designing the landfill site.

In September, it said the site was not supposed to take any more waste and that guards were to be posted to prevent illegal dumping of mud.

Reuters