Around 100 animals were hurled into a 20ft-deep ditch apparently dug using heavy machinery, suggesting government officials may be behind the killings, say activists.Once inside, earth was reportedly shovelled on top of them, leaving to them to suffocate.One puppy and three adult dogs were rescued after a charity was called in to investigate.The Yinchuan Dawn Pets Home group investigated after a woman searching for her pet dog near a garbage dump in Alxa League, near China's border with Mongolia, where dogs are regarded as vermin, told them that the animals were trapped last Wednesday.Chinese internet users expressed outrage after pictures of the dogs before the alleged burial were posted by the charity on Sina Weibo - China's version of Twitter.When the charity visited the site the following day, they found that the pit had been filled in.Animal rights campaigner Li Yeh, 28, said: 'We had a call from a member of the public that there were some dogs in a hole, but when we went there the next day it had been filled in.'We could even hear some whimpering when we started to dig down.'Another charity worker said: 'Even by local standards this was a barbaric and heartless act. 'When volunteers arrived the next day they saw the trench filled in but heard the plaintive cries of some dogs near the surface. A handful were rescued, severely traumatised but alive.'A charity volunteer told AFP that another visit was made on Friday, but by then it appeared that the dead dogs had been moved elsewhere in what the group said was an attempt by local officials responsible for enforcing city laws - called Chengguan in China - to hide the grim burial.'We hired an excavator and found in the place where the dogs were buried six dead dogs which were damaged by an excavator before we got there,' the volunteer surnamed Fan told AFP.'These dogs all had soil in their mouths and noses, which means before we arrived at the scene local Chengguan had already transferred the dogs' bodies to another secret place.'An official from the local Chengguan office denied the allegations and said an investigation had been launched.'We are investigating if some stray dogs were buried alive,' the official told AFP.'I can ensure you we didn't do this kind of thing, and moreover, we are not in charge of stray dogs.'Officially called the City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau, the Chengguan operate in every community in China. The Chengguan have a reputation for heartless treatment of the people they monitor - often the poorest in Chinese society. Earlier this month, four of them were beaten almost to death by a mob after they witnessed an officer kill a street trader with a hammer.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az