More than 30 people have been killed by floods and landslides in Shanxi, Gansu and Yunnan provinces since last Thursday.

The government has called for more action to prevent loss of life following the latest stream of natural disasters.

The latest disaster came in the early hours of Saturday morning, when 11 migrant workers were killed in a landslide at an iron mine in the suburbs of Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi Province.

Their deaths followed those of seven workers at an oilfield in Northwest China's Gansu Province, who were killed on Thursday by a mudslide caused by heavy rain.

Meanwhile disasters caused by heavy rain in Southwest China's Yunnan Province killed 16 on Thursday and Friday.

Over the weekend the State Council urged local governments to search for hidden dangers that could worsen natural disasters, and called for provinces to prepare emergency response plans.

At a national meeting over the weekend, State Councillor Hua Jianmin expressed concern that problems still exist in emergency preparedness and response.

"Some local government's emergency response work remains weak, and some officials delay the reporting of incidents, or even lie and hide the truth about accidents," said Hua.

He urged governments at all levels to further improve emergency response plans and enhance emergency management capabilities to better cope with all types of disasters.

The Shanxi disaster happened at 5:10 am, when an elevated stretch of land at the Jianshan Iron Ore Mine slipped, burying a tent where 12 migrant workers were sleeping.

Except one worker who escaped unhurt, the other 11 were rushed to hospital but pronounced dead there, said Liu Wei, who is in charge of the construction of a pump station at the mine.

The 11 men were aged between 25 and 45 and had only arrived at the mine on Thursday.

A special group has been formed to investigate the disaster.

Meanwhile rescue workers in Central China's Hunan Province are now believed to have found the remains of 25 farmers killed in a flash flood on June 25. Two others remain missing.

In another development, a slightly weakened typhoon Ewiniar continues to move northward and is expected to roar into the Yellow Sea early Monday.

Costal cities in East China's Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces have warned small ships and fishing boats to seek shelter.

According to a forecast released by the Shanghai Meteorological Department yesterday evening, the typhoon, packing winds of 35 metres per second, was located in the East China Sea at 2 pm, 470 kilometers southeast of Shanghai.

It was heading in a north-northwest direction at 30 kilometres per hour, and expected to enter the Yellow Sea at around midnight.

The storm is anticipated to bring gusty winds and showers to coastal areas today, but there is little chance it will come ashore.

Jiangsu and Shandong provinces are expected to bare the brunt of strong winds and showers brought by the storm.

In Yancheng, a coastal city in the northern part of Jiangsu, fishing boats have been ordered to take shelter.

"No land evacuations have yet been made, because the eye of the storm is hundreds of kilometres offshore," an official with the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters said yesterday.

"But we will still keep an around-the-clock watch on it, we have personnel in place, and we will launch emergency plans when necessary," he said, adding that plans exist to restore supply power, traffic, communications and water.

In Shanghai, authorities were yesterday preparing warnings, with Ewiniar forecast to have its influence felt late last night and today.

The municipal government issued an emergency circular over the weekend calling for checks on bill boards, scaffolding, neon lights and other risky constructions.

In Zhejiang, however, an evacuation has been launched. The Xinhua News Agency reported that more than 7,600 people have been evacuated from homes near the city of Ningbo on Saturday, moving to school rooms or temporary shelters.

More than 8,000 ships have returned to harbour in Ningbo and coastal Zhoushan City.

The storm, which some worried would land in the city, brought only showers, said an official with the flood control department yesterday.

"It's not a severe one, even though it temporarily paralysed communications at sea," he added.

Typhoon Ewiniar formed in the Pacific east of the Philippines on July 1.

It follows Typhoons Chanchu and Jelawat, which hit southern provinces in May and June, causing numerous deaths and huge property losses.