Myanmar: Dozens feared dead after landslide at jade mine

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

YANGON, Myanmar

Fatalities at jade mines in Myanmar’s restive northern Kachin state have topped 300 this year, an official told Anadolu Agency on Saturday, as rescuers searched for dozens of people believed to be trapped following another collapse overnight.

Moe Thida, Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) deputy director, said that a landslide of debris and waste soil hit nearby jade mines in Hpakant Township Friday night.

“It’s the 38th time a debris pile has collapsed, and more than 300 lives were lost because of these landslides this year,” she said.

Most of those killed in landslides are itinerant workers who search for small precious stones at the dump piles left behind by large-scale industrial mining companies.

An official from Hpakant’s police station who requested not to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media said Saturday, “more than 10 dead bodies were recovered as of 2 p.m. [0730GMT].”

MRCS volunteers are still searching for the around 40 or 50 miners estimated to be missing and believed to be buried under the landslide.

“There was also a minor landslide in the area that killed about five people earlier this month,” Moe Thida said.

“This is like a disaster for the workers there, and authorities should view this as a major problem,” she stressed. “Otherwise, such incidents are inevitable.”

Last month, at least 115 dead bodies were recovered from under the rubble brought down by the landslide that buried around 70 huts near a pile in the township, but residents estimate that around 200 people remained buried under the mud.

An anti-corruption non-governmental organization, Global Witness, released a report in late October revealing that the country made around $31 billion in jade exports last year, much of it untaxed.

The report, titled ‘Jade: Myanmar’s Big State Secret’, alleged that the country’s “political elite” – closely tied to the former junta – were directly involved in the jade industry.

Earlier this month, powerful House Speaker Shwe Mann called on the government to put forward a program to the parliament explaining jade mining conditions as well as how to avoid further landslides in the region.