Rescue operations have been called off for two people missing after a landslide at a quarry in east China's Anhui Province on Saturday claimed the lives of four other workers, said the province's top safety official.

"Rescue operations had to be suspended after another landslide hit the quarry at 2:00 PM on Sunday," said Cheng Chuanru, director of the Anhui Provincial Administration of Work Safety, "there is no hope for the two missing people."

The accident occurred at about 4:00 PM at a quarry of the Antai Gravel Co., Ltd. in Shushan Town of Wuwei County, burying seven workers. Four were confirmed dead on Saturday night and another was being treated for injuries.

Cheng said his team would attempt to recover the bodies after geologists approve a safe work plan.

More than 10,000 cubic meters of rock and mud slid off the Wulong mountain following recent rainstorms, said Cheng.

More than 300 people had joined the rescue operation, Cheng said.

Initial investigations show that the quarry did not have a safety certificate but was in the process of obtaining one when the accident occurred.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2006)