Landslide Buries 83 Miners In Tibetan Gold Mine

Tragedy has struck a gold mining operation just hours ago in the mountains of Tibet burying 83 miners.  Details are still emerging but sources said the miners were sleeping when a landslide hit burying them alive.

A landslide of about 2.6 million cubic yards of mud, rock and debris swept through the area as the workers were resting and/or sleeping.  The area of the landslide covers about 1.5 square miles.

Over a 1,000 people have been dispatched to the mine just East of the regions capital, Lhasa. Searches are being conducted with devices to detect signs of life and accompanied by trained dogs.

Early reports say the landslide was caused by a "natural disaster" but did not provide specifics. It was unclear why the first news reports of the landslide came out several hours after it occurred and though hospitals were told to prepare for survivors, none at the time of this post have arrived.