Two officials under investigation following fatal coal mine landslide

Aerial view of the accident site of landslide at the Lyuxin coal mine in Heshun county, Jinzhong city, north China's Shanxi province, on August 15, 2017. [Photo: Imagine China]

Two officials have been placed under investigation following a fatal landslide at an open-pit coal mine in north China's Shanxi Province.

The total number of fatalities rose to eight as four more bodies were recovered Thursday. The accident occurred at around 3 p.m. on Aug. 11 at Lyuxin coal mine in Heshun County, but the coal mine company denied the casualties until its head turned himself in to police Tuesday, confessing that about 10 people were buried in the accident.

At least one person remains missing, but the exact number of people buried is not yet known.

Zhang Ruiqing, the county coal administration head, and Yao Jiangbo, head of the county bureau of land and resources, are both being investigated for suspected "violation of laws and regulations." Zhang has been removed from his post.

Lyuxin coal mine, under Shanxi Coal Transportation and Sales Group Co., Ltd., has an annual coal capacity of 2 million tonnes.