83 Miners Buried in Tibet Landslide

Rescuers digging for victims of a massive landslide at a gold mining site in mountainous Tibet found one body this morning, a day after 83 workers were buried in the disaster, Chinese state media reported. The fate of the other victims was unknown. The workers were buried when about 2.6 million cubic yards of mud, rock, and debris swept through the mine in Gyama village. They were believed to be sleeping in their tents at the time.

The disaster has spotlighted the extensive mining activities on the Tibetan plateau and sparked questions about whether mining activities have been excessive and destroyed the region's fragile ecosystem. Criticisms, however, only flashed through China's social media today before they were scrubbed off or blocked from public view by censors. State media reports say the mudslide was caused by a "natural disaster," without giving specifics. (More Tibet stories.)