Search for China landslide victims likely to suspend due to safety concern

WULONG, Chongqing, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Under the threat of falling stones and another landslide, search for the missing in a massive landslide in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality one week ago is likely to be suspended, rescuers said Sunday.

According to a geologist with the rescue headquarters who declined to be identified, cracks with the span of eight to ten meters wide and up to 30 meters deep have appeared on the landslide-induced hills.

"If the 1.75 million cubic meters of soil and rocks fell down from 80 to 100 meters high, another massive landslide shall occur," he said.

Four remaining big stones that stood on the edge of the mountains are also likely to slip off when it rains, he said.

Two landslides of smaller scale forced suspension of rescue work twice early Friday morning.

The landslide site has entered the flood season, and landslide-induced lakes are likely to trigger mud-rock flows, said Zhu Xiansheng, head of the water conservancy bureau of Chongqing.

One more body was recovered on Saturday, bringing the death toll of the landslide to 10. Sixty two people remained missing as of Sunday.

Rescuers refused to estimate the survival chances of the missing. Bo Xilai, secretary of the Chongqing Committee of the Communist Party of China, has ordered rescuers to make their utmost efforts to save lives and retrieve the bodies.