China officials ousted after deadly landslide

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- The governor of Shanxi Province in northern China resigned Sunday in the wake of a mud and rock slide that has killed at least 254 people, state-run media reported.

The vice-governor has been removed from his post as well, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Wang Jun, minister of the State Administration of Work Safety, has been appointed acting governor and vice-governor of Shanxi.

More than 1,000 rescue workers have combed through 90 percent of the inundated area -- digging through hundreds of thousands of tons of slush, mud and rocks around a mine in Xiangfen county, the China Daily newspaper said.

Crews have begun a new search round in a 330-yard ditch filled with silt.

Earlier, authorities detained 13 people. Among them are the board chairman of the Xinta Mining Company, the mine manager, a vice manager and accountant.

The deaths occurred after torrential rain on September 8 at the unlicensed Tashan Mine, which operated illegally.

The amount of iron-ore waste in a holding pond exceeded the pond's capacity, Xinhua said, and intense rain triggered a flow of mud and rocks that roared down a valley Monday to collapse a warehouse, bury homes and damage cars.

The deluge also destroyed a three-story office building and a market.

The China Daily report said the economic loss from the disaster is an estimated 9.18 million yuan ($1.34 million).

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