Myanmar jade mine landslide leaves over 160 dead after mining waste heap collapse

The miners were collecting stones in the jade-rich Hpakant area of Kachin state when a ‘muddy wave’ crashed onto them

Myanmar mostly exports jade to China, with official sales worth US$750 million in 2016-17, attracting many informal miners

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Rescuer workers attempting to locate survivors after a landslide at a jade mine in Hpakant, Kachin state, Myanmar. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:00pm, 2 Jul 2020Updated: 12:22am, 3 Jul 2020

A landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar killed at least 162 people, with more feared dead, authorities said on Thursday, after a heap of mining waste collapsed into a lake, triggering a wave of mud and water that buried many workers.

The miners were collecting stones in the jade-rich Hpakant area of Kachin state when the “muddy wave” crashed onto them, after heavy rain, the fire service department said in a Facebook post.

Rescuers recovered 162 bodies and 54 injured people by 7.15pm local time on Thursday, authorities said.

“Other bodies are in the mud,” Tar Lin Maung, a local official with the information ministry, told Reuters by phone. “The numbers are going to rise.”

Rescuers searching for people after a landslide in Hpakant, Kachin State. Photo: EPA-EFE

Deadly landslides and other accidents are common in the poorly regulated mines of Hpakant, which draw impoverished workers from across Myanmar, but this is the worst in more than five years.

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