At least 34 people are feared dead after a landslide near a jade mine in Myanmar swept miners into a nearby lake on Sunday, officials stated.
The incident occurred in the remote mountainous town of Hpakant in northern Myanmar, an area known for being the epicenter for the world’s largest and most lucrative jade mines, The Associated Press reported. Scavengers often pick through the rubble left behind by mining companies in search of small pieces of jade, despite the risks posed by the unstable ground, Reuters reported.
A landslide sweeps through a jade mine in northern Myanmar. At least 36 people are missing. One witness told RFA that the victims were itinerant miners seeking their fortunes in the mine. pic.twitter.com/vj08udxXFj
— Radio Free Asia (@RadioFreeAsia) August 14, 2023
Tar Lin Maung, a local journalist, stated that several witnesses claim the landslide occurred when a 492-foot-high rubble heap collapsed, forcing more than 30 people into the nearby lake, per Reuters. The circumstances led Maung to observe that the odds of finding survivors were slim, Reuters reported. “There is no chance that they would survive in this muddy lake,” Maung stated, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Massive Landslide In China Kills Six Mine Workers, Traps Dozens More: Officials)
A local rescue worker told AP that although eight people were rescued Sunday and take to a local hospital for treatment, there were at least 34 individuals still missing.
Tragic accidents like these are not uncommon around the mines, and most victims are independent miners who are typically undocumented migrants from other areas, according to AP. These migrant miners usually live and work in abandoned mining pits surrounded by unstable mounds of earth, the outlet reported.