Rescue work for workers buried in an iron ore mine was suspended Thursday afternoon after Tuesday's fatal mudslide in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The search was suspended 5 p.m. Thursday due to gales and rain, said Jia Yisheng, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) committee of Xinyuan county.

A mudslide hit Araltobe Iron Mine at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday in the township of Araltobe, Xinyuan county in Xinjiang, trapping 28 workers. The mine is a joint venture of private enterprises.

Twenty-one bodies have been recovered from the mine to date.

Xinyuan county government has started geological risks inspections of the surrounding mountains and its eight mineral enterprises.