Miners work in open-cast jade mines near Hpakant in Kachin state, Myanmar on July 4, 2020. (YE AUNG THU / AFP)
YANGON – Over 80 people went missing in a jade mine landslide in Myanmar's Kachin state in the early hours of Wednesday, a local village administration official told Xinhua.
According to witnesses at the scene, the landslide left over 80 people missing and the rescue operation is being carried out.
U Kyaw Min, an official of a village administration office in Kachin state
"According to witnesses at the scene, the landslide left over 80 people missing and the rescue operation is being carried out," U Kyaw Min, an official of a village administration office, said.
The landslide took place at around 4:00 am local time, burying nearly 100 people including jade scavengers and vendors, a Hpakant township police officer told Xinhua.
"There is no data about the exact number of the missing jade scavengers," the police officer said.
"Authorities arrived at the site around 7 am and are conducting the search," Dashi Naw Lawn, an official at the civil society group said by telephone, adding that no dead bodies had been found up to now.
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Deadly landslides are frequent in Kachin state, especially in Hpakant mining region.
Many locals make their living by jade scavenging in the region and most of the landslides are caused by the partial collapse of tailings heaps and dams.
A major fatal landslide occurred at a jade mining site in Hpakant township in July last year, leaving 174 dead and 54 others injured.