The search for victims of the landslide at an Hidalgo marble mine concluded yesterday when the body of the fifth person missing was found in the rubble.

Seven workers from the town of Dengantzha in Francisco I. Madero were working at the mine on Thursday when hundreds of tonnes of rock slid down the hillside above them.

Three escaped the slide but four workers, aged between 16 and 38, were not so lucky.

The fifth victim was a 60-year-old shepherd who used to visit the mine workers at lunchtime.

Rescue workers had to proceed with extreme caution on Thursday after another slide occurred.

One of the victims was just 18 years old and had only been working at the mine for a month. He leaves his 16-year-old girlfriend and their unborn child.

Governor Omar Fayad Meneses offered his condolences to the families of those killed and said his administration would offer whatever assistance is required.

Some of the mountainous areas of the Mezquital Valley, where Dengantzha is located, are rich in marble and limestone. Private and community-owned mines exploit the rock, an activity that is often the only source of income for local families.

Source: El Universal (sp), Excélsior (sp)