The accident occurred early on Monday, when torrential rains caused a pond containing tailings from the mine to overflow in north China's Shanxi Province. The waste destroyed a market along with a three-storey office building and several homes within a few minutes, according to eyewitnesses.
Twenty-six people were killed immediately, and eight more bodies were found on Tuesday, the agency said.
Another 35 people were injured, four of them seriously. A rescue operation involving 150 medical personnel and over 1,100 police officers, firefighters and local volunteers is underway.
The death toll is expected to rise, as the search in the rubble continues.
According to a preliminary investigation, "the unlicensed Tashan mine was operating illegally and the stored waste iron ore dregs had surpassed the capacity of the holding pond," rescuers said.
