Landslide Kills At Least 162 in Myanmar’s Jade Mining Hub

A landslide at a jade mining site in Myanmar has left at least 162 people dead with heavy rains forcing the authorities to pause their search and rescue efforts, the fire department said.

Many of the dead were mostly small-time miners collecting stones at old mining sites in Hpakant town in northern Kachin state. They were buried by mud after heavy rains led to the collapse of a quarry, the fire department earlier said in a Facebook post. Hpakant is known to be a jade mining area that has seen several deadly accidents in recent years due to the monsoon season.

Myanmar sells most of its jade to China and those exports have increased 68 percent to $761.4 million in the fiscal year ended April 2018, official data show. This has attracted informal miners who want to be part of the lucrative industry with many often ignoring safety warnings in their search for jade.

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