Authorities in southern China have arrested 11 people in connection with a landslide at a construction dump site that killed 12 people and left 62 others missing and presumed dead.

Prosecutors in China's southern city of Shenzen on Thursday announced the arrest of a dispatcher and supervisor of the landfill, the chief and deputy manager of a company in charge of the landfill, and seven others for their alleged roles in the deadly disaster.

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On the morning of Dec. 20, a 100-meter high mountain of construction waste in Shenzen collapsed during heavy rains, unleashing tons of mud and debris onto in a nearby industrial park.  The landslide swept over dozens of buildings and trapped scores of people under the rubble left in its wake.

Prosecutors said the 11 people have been charged with negligence in connection with the disaster, and urged police to go after others who are apparently on the run.

Prior to the accident, Chinese authorities had detailed months of sloppy work practices and safety lapses at the construction site.  

Citing reports from a government-appointed monitor dating from September to November last year, the Wall Street Journal says the landfill operator had not sufficiently compressed the soil on the site. The reports mention "severe erosion" on some slopes at the site, and recommended a suspension of operations at the landfill four days before the construction debris broke loose.

Urban administrators at Guangming New District commissioned the reports in July. The inspections were undertaken by the Shenzhen J-Star Project Management Consultant, Co., an environmental monitoring firm with offices in Guangdong. 

Officials have determined that the Shenzhen landslide was a man-made disaster, and Chinese authorities have warned that those responsible would be "seriously punished in accordance with the law."

The BBC says China -- which is working to reduce accidents related to its rapid industrialization -- imposes stiff penalties on those responsible for industrial disasters, including imprisonment and the confiscation of wealth.  

The former head of the Urban Administrative Bureau in Shenzhen reportedly jumped to his death from an apartment block in the city one week after the landslide.  While it remains unclear if authorities were investigating the man in connection with the disaster, his duties as an urban administrator would have included regulating businesses and construction sites.

TagsWall Street Journal