Landslide at mine in Myanmar leaves dozens missing
A landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar left more than 30 people missing, and a search and rescue operation was underway on Monday, a rescue official said. The incident occurred in Hpakant, a remote mountainous town in Kachin state about 950 kilometres north of Myanmar’s biggest city, Yangon. The area is the epicenter of the world’s biggest and most lucrative jade mines. The leader of a local rescue team coordinating search efforts said on Monday that more than 30 miners who were digging for jade were swept into a lake when the landslide hit near Manna village around 3:30 pm on Sunday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared being arrested by the military. Earth and debris from several mines near the village slid about 300 metres down a cliff into the lake below and struck the miners on the way, he said. He said 34 people were confirmed missing and local rescue teams were searching the lake on Monday. Eight miners were injured and taken to a local hospital on Sunday, he said. A miner who asked not to be identified because he feared for his safety said three of his colleagues who were digging for jade were carried down into the lake by the landslide. He said most of the victims were men. (AP)