1 Apr 2013

Dozens missing in Tibet mining landslide

4:27 pm on 1 April 2013

Chinese state media reports 17 bodies have been recovered from the scene of a massive landslide in Tibet that engulfed a mining complex.

The landslide happened at 6am local time on Friday at the mining camp, burying 83 workers.

More than 3000 rescuers - including police, firefighters and doctors - with abut 200 bulldozers, life detecting equipment and sniffer dogs have found no signs of life, the BBC reports.

The complex is 70 kilometres east of Lhasa, at an altitude of 4600 metres.

Rescuers have been hampered by freezing weather, altitude sickness and risks of further landslides.

The Xinhua news agency says cracks on nearby mountains suggested there could be further land slips. "Temperatures as low as -3C have affected the sniffer dogs' sense of smell," it says.