A landslide in a Myanmar jade mining area kills at least 12 and leaves many missing

A nighttime landslide at a jade mining area in northern Myanmar has killed at least a dozen people and left many missing, according to a resident, rescue workers, and independent media reports on Monday. It is claimed that approximately 50 houses were buried or damaged.

The incident occurred early Monday morning in Hpakant, Kachin State, a remote mountainous area and the center of the lucrative jade mining industry, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) from Myanmar's largest city, Yangon. Sporadic fighting between Myanmar's military and ethnic guerrillas occurs intermittently in the area.

Tarlin Mg, a resident near the accident area, told the Associated Press that 12 bodies, including four children, had been found in the village of Sput. He said that about 50 houses were buried by mud and water seeping from a pond about 300 feet (91 meters) away, where large amounts of mining debris and waste were dumped.

Two local rescue workers, who declined to be named, told the Associated Press that it was difficult to find the missing people due to the large amount of mud and that heavy machinery was needed. They declined to be named because they feared retaliation from the military or the guerrillas fighting it. Online media in Kachin State reported that 30-50 people may be missing.

Landslides occur frequently each year in the Hpakant jade mining area. In July 2020, a landslide in the same area killed at least 162 people; another 113 people died in November 2015. Most of the victims are independent miners who settle near the piles of waste soil that mining companies use heavy machinery to dig. They search for jade fragments, often working and living at the bottom of abandoned mine pits, which become particularly unstable during the rainy season.

Most of the scavengers are unregistered migrants from other areas, making it difficult to determine how many people are missing after an accident. Smuggling and illegal sales make it difficult to know the scale of the local jade mining industry, but it is estimated that the region generates billions of dollars in revenue from the sale of jade, pearls, and gemstones. Human rights activists say that jade mining is a significant source of revenue for Myanmar's military junta.

The mines are also a major source of income for the Kachin Independence Army, an ethnic armed organization in Kachin State that has been fighting the central government for greater autonomy for decades. Since the military seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February 2021, ceasefires in the region have been broken. The area is now embroiled in conflict, leading to the displacement of many civilians into refugee camps and nearby towns.