Photo taken on Dec. 28, 2015 shows excavators and bulldozers working at the landslide site at an industrial park in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.(Photo: Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)
Twelve suspects involved in a deadly landslide that buried nearly 80 people in the southern city of Shenzhen last month are being investigated by local prosecutors for abuse of power and dereliction of duty, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Monday.
All 12 suspects have been detained under "coercive measures," the SPP said in a statement.
The suspects include Deng Zhixiong, deputy director of Shenzhen Guangming New District urban management bureau; Zeng Keting, deputy director of the municipal service center; and Zheng Cunhui, engineer with Shenzhen water and soil conservation supervision and monitoring station, according to the statement.
Local prosecutors said they will further investigation into the negligence cases and discover whether bribery was involved.
The landslide occurred on Dec. 20 after a huge waste pile collapsed and left 69 people dead and eight people missing in the southern Chinese city.