China arrests miners for damage to Neolithic site

BEIJING, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Chinese police have arrested 26 people suspected of illegally mining and damaging a protected 6,000 year-old Neolithic site in the northeastern province of Liaoning, state media said on Tuesday.

The Niuheliang site houses remains of the Neolithic Hongshan culture, including ancient temples, altars and tombs, and is on a list of possible World Heritage sites.

Niuheliang has seen increased encroachment by iron ore miners despite local land, forestry and cultural heritage authorities' attempts to stop them, Xinhua news agency said.

Prosecutors are also investigating 14 officials in connection with the case, it added.

China's cultural heritage protection law prohibits explosions, mining and drilling near protected areas.

China has the world's most deadly coal mining industry and despite government safety drives has a grim record of industrial accidents, in part because high prices for resources are tempting owners to produce illegally or beyond safe limits.

A blast in an illegal iron ore mine in northern Hebei province killed at least 24 people and injured five over the weekend. (Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)