Myanmar: At least 25 killed, 14 missing after landslide at jade mine in Hpakant

A report by AFP citingemergency workers, on Tuesday (August 15), said rescuers have recovered 25 bodies while 14 people remain missing after being swept into a lake after a huge landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar. The incident occurred in the remote mountainous town of Hpakant in the country’s Kachin state, home to some of the world’s biggest jade mines.

What happened?

According to reports citing rescue workers, the incident took place on Sunday and also comes days after much of the country was swamped by heavy rains and floods. More than 100 rescue workers were looking for survivors, a member of the rescue team, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters, on Monday.

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The news agency citing the rescue team member also said that eight people who were injured were taken to the hospital on Sunday."We found 25 dead bodies in total today," a rescue worker told AFP on Tuesday,adding that 14 people were still missing.

Search and rescue effortswill continue Wednesday, as per the report.Rescuers had to reportedly digthrough mud to find bodies, while others were floating in water.

Meanwhile, citing witnesses, Tar Lin Maung, a local journalist said the waste heap that collapsed on Sunday was about 150 metres high. “There is no chance that they would survive in this muddy lake,” said Tar Lin Maung, as quoted by Reuters, on Monday.

Jade mining in Myanmar

A report by the Associated Press, on Monday, also citing a member of the rescue team, said that while the search and rescue efforts were continuing, some miners had already returned to the scene in the hope of finding jade.

This comes after the mine’s operations were said to have been suspended following the landslide.

Notably, the site of the incident is said to be the centre of Myanmar’s secretive and highly lucrative jade industry, which is mostly unregulated.

Myanmar produces about 90 per cent of the world’s jade, a gem that is highly coveted in neighbouring China.

Dozens die annually, while many low-paid migrant workers continue to risk their lives daily picking through unstable earth and rubble excavated by mining companies to search for small pieces of semi-precious stone.

The site has also witnessed some of Asia’s worst mining disasters. In 2020, at least 170 miners were killed after a landslide at the Hpakant township.

The jade mines are estimated to be worth around $30 billion a year and are said to be an important source of revenue for Myanmar’s military government, which took over the country after a coup.

(With inputs from agencies)

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