ZCZC
BFF-40
MYANMAR-LANDSLIDE-MINING-JADE-DISASTER
At least 15 dead in Myanmar jade mine landslide
YANGON, July 15, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – At least 15 people have been killed and
dozens injured in a landslide at an old jade mine in northern Myanmar, state
media reported on Sunday, as rains complicate the search for more victims.
The accident is the latest to strike the multibillion dollar industry
centred in Kachin state, the source of most of the world’s jade.
The poorly regulated and murky business is fuelled by demand across the
border in China where the near-translucent green gem is prized.
But the vast mines and deposits attract impoverished workers who are
offered little in the way of protection as they risk life and limb to dig out
profits from the soil.
Those who died were “searching for jade” at a defunct mine on Saturday in
Hpakant township when they were hit by a landslide, the Ministry of
Information said on its official website.
Fourteen bodies were recovered and a 15th person died in hospital, it
said. More than 45 people were being treated for injuries.
Long Long, a 30-year-old resident of Hpakant, told AFP the landslide
happened in a sub-township called Lone Khin.
“The rescue process found the dead bodies yesterday but this morning there
is heavy rain here,” she said.
A security guard in the area who saw the landslide told AFP there were
probably more victims unaccounted for but monsoon rains made the search
difficult on Sunday.
The ministry said a rescue team of village authorities, firefighers and
local NGOs had helped respond to the accident.
A number of deadly landslides have struck the area around Hpakant in
recent years, with one major incident in November 2015 leaving more than 100
dead.
In May 17 people were killed in a mining compound in Hpakant township
after a wall of rock collapsed when miners attempted to dig for jade under
it.
The NGO Global Witness said the industry was worth some $31 billion in
2014 alone, with much of the funds not reaching state coffers.
Kachin is a resource-rich part of the country that has long played host to
conflict between ethnic insurgents fighting for more autonomy and the Myanmar
army.
More than 100,000 people have been displaced due to fighting between the
Kachin Independence Army and the military after a ceasefire broke down in
2011.
Thousands have fled their homes since the start of the year in response to
a new bout of clashes.
Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said ending Myanmar’s conflicts in
its borderlands is a priority, but her administration had yet to make
significant progress.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1753 hrs