Rescuers hammered at debris today searching for survivors buried under sludge in northern China after a landslide that has killed at least 128 people, but hopes of finding anybody alive were fading.

The death toll after a torrent of sludge, mud and mining waste ploughed into buildings in northern China has risen to at least 34 people, with hundreds more feared trapped in the rubble, state media reported today.

Rescuers rushed to reach 24 coal miners trapped underground by China’s earthquake almost two weeks ago, officials said today as the government sharply raised the death toll and warned it could exceed 80,000.