The waste dump that created a massive landslide in Shenzhen, with dozens missing after the disaster, was ordered to close five months ago and take action to improve safety, but had continued to operate. Documents published by the authorities in the Guangming New District on its website show that officials had carried out several monthly inspections at the huge tip. READ MORE: Ninety-one still missing as rescuers search for survivors after massive Shenzhen landslide The revelation comes as rescuers continue to search for 85 people missing in the wake of the disaster. The Hongao Construction Waste Dump was given approval in February last year to operate for 12 months, according to the documents. Inspectors found in July that it was still in operation and was not following agreed plans for safety and maintenance at the site. It was ordered to carry out improvements and reapply for a licence by September, but failed to do so, according to the documents. “Illegal dumping of earth is strictly forbidden,” one of the statements said. The huge landslide destroyed or damaged more than 30 buildings at the site on Sunday morning. The landslide covered more than 100,000 square metres at the Hengtaiyu Industrial Park in the Guangming New District. WATCH: Workers run as buildings come down around them amid Shenzhen landslide A nearby section of the arterial West-East Gas Pipeline also exploded, state-run China Central Television reported. The Ministry of Land and Natural Resources said the landslide happened after a dump of earth and construction rubbish, as high as a 20 storey-building, collapsed. The dump was too large and the slopes to steep, making it unstable, the ministry said. The land ministry said the dump was as high as a 20-storey building and earth had poured on to nearby buildings. The dump covered an area of 380,00 square metres, according to the authorities in Shenzhen. People living in the area said they had regularly complained about the dump to the authorities as it looked increasingly unstable. The number of trucks carrying waste to the site had increased in recent months and their warnings were not heeded, they said. The authorities failed to stop the dump operating in October, according to residents, despite saying they were carrying out a crackdown. An environmental review report in January this year said the dump had received one million square metres of debris and warned of a catastrophe, the Legal Evening News reported. It said the dump was originally a deserted quarry and construction work would accelerate water and earth loss, increasing the risk of landslide, according to the report.