Myanmar landslide: At least 100 dead in Hpakant area of Kachin state

At least 100 people have died in northern Myanmar's jade mining area following a landslide in the early hours on July 2, according to the county's fire service, who initiated the rescue operations. The fire department said that so far they have pulled out 100 or so bodies of jade mining workers from the mud and operations are still going on in the Hpakant area of Kachin state, where the incident took place. Every year during monsoon rains dozens of people die in the region due to poor working conditions in Myanmar's jade mining industry.

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The jade mining industry in Myanmar is highly lucrative because of the high demands of the gem in neighbouring China. Migrant workers go to the state of Kachin to work in the industry that is poorly regulated and has substandard working conditions. Myanmar Fire Services Department in a statement on Facebook said that "A landslide triggered by heavy rainfall caused by water pumpers digging in the old Ayeyarwady collective fields. The jade miners were smothered by a wave of mud."

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Mining mafia

Media reports suggest that deadly landslides are common in the region and often the victims are from backward communities, who agree to work in the mines for very low wages. The natural resources in the area, including jade and timber, have helped finance the civil war in the region between indigenous Kachin and the military. The rich lands have also created mafias that try to control the mining industry and often the poor get caught in between.

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(Photo Credit: Myanmar Fire Services Department)