The death toll from a landslide in north China's Shanxi Province rose to 19 as rescuers recovered three more bodies in the early hours on Saturday, emergency headquarters said.

Rescuers found the three bodies at around 2 a.m. Saturday at the landslide site at a brick factory near Shang'an village, Lvliang City. The landslide occurred at around 10:20 AM on Friday, destroying the factory's workshops and burying 20 workers.

Only one worker, named Wu Sandan, was pulled out alive. He is now being treated in a hospital and has no life dangers.

"I was working in the workshop when I saw a large pile of earth falling from the mountain," he remembered. "I hurried to run away, but had not run ten meters before I was crushed by roof boards destroyed by the earth piles."

Wu said most of the dead were from Shang'an village and some from nearby villages.

Local police have closed off the landslide site to avoid dangers from possible new landslides. Experts are investigating the cause of the incident.

(Xinhua News Agency June 14, 2008)