Eight people have been reported dead and two injured in two collapses in cave dwellings and a quarry in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

One person is still missing after the accidents.

Four cave dwellings in Matigou Township, of Zizhou County, in northern Shaanxi, suddenly collapsed at around 8:40 am Wednesday, burying six people.

Zizhou county government immediately dispatched a rescue team to the site. Five people were found dead and one was slightly injured.

Initial investigations showed the main causes of the cave dwelling accident were that they had been used for a long time and the roofs had been permeated with rainwater.

Another collapse occurred in a quarry at 3 pm Wednesday in Shanyang County, in southern Shaanxi, killing three people and injuring one. Another person is missing, say emergency workers.

The cause of the quarry collapse is still under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2003)