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As many as 100 people are feared missing after a landslide at a jade mine in Myanmar. Rescue teams are desperately searching for people in a nearby lake, with most victims believed to be illegal miners. One person is confirmed dead. The landslide occurred in the Hpakant area of northern Kachin state at 04:00 on Wednesday (21:30 GMT Tuesday). Myanmar is the world's biggest source of jade, but its mines have seen numerous accidents. The landslide is believed to have been caused by an overflow of rubble discarded from lorries to the open-pit mines.

Hanna Hindstrom, from the human rights group Global Witness, has researched the illegal jade mining trade. She says that it seems, from reports, that dozens of jade miners were swept away and that rescue services are still searching for them. She says although all jade and gem mining is illegal in Myanmar, the military and other groups in the area give tacit permission for mining to continue and that it's a "multi-billion dollar" industry, with much of the jade smuggled to China.

"For independent jade miners the work is extremely dangerous. ... They are amongst the most exposed and vulnerable miners in Myanmar. They operate without any kind of safety equipment whatsoever."

Photo: Rescue teams search at scene of a jade mining site in Hpakant, Kachin State, northern Myanmar, 22 December 2021 Credit EPA

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