Attempts to rescue 12 people trapped inside a collapsed iron mine here were halted yesterday, due to fresh cave-ins and landslides caused by heavy rain, but provincial chiefs said work will resume as soon as possible.

Cheng Chuanru, head of the Anhui provincial work safety bureau, said the first cave-in happened at 12:30 pm on Wednesday, at the mine in Fanchang, a county about two hours' drive from Hefei, the provincial capital, trapping at least 12 farmers.

Anhui Party Secretary Wang Jinshan and Governor Wang Sanyun told the rescue team to resume operations as soon as possible. A vice-governor was also sent to the site to monitor progress.

The mine is owned by Taochong Mining Co, a division of Ma'anshan Steel Group. The section that collapsed had been abandoned by the firm, but was mined illegally by local people, Cheng said.

Rescuers said the mountains around the site were in an unstable condition.

An official in charge of the effort said the postponement was caused by the fact that heavy machinery could not be taken in to the area and that there was a threat of further cave-ins.

The rescuers are working in two groups, one monitoring changes in the ground surface and the other searching underground, Cheng said.

In November 2006, the provincial government erected signs warning of the danger of possible ground collapses and also put up roadblocks to stop people accessing the area.

But people continued to mine illegally and sometimes even used explosives, the government said.

In 2006, 23 people were arrested for illegal mining in the area, and the action did work as a deterrent for a while, Cheng said.

However, on Dec 11 of last year, seven people became trapped after mining in the area. They were all rescued, but one person later died from his injuries.

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily June 27, 2008)