54 believed dead in Hpakant landslide

54 believed dead in Hpakant landslide

AP 23 APR 2019  Myanmar TIMES

Miners search for jade stone at the Hpakant jade mining area in Kachin State. Photo: EPA

More than 50 people are believed to have died in a mudslide at a jade mining site, a lawmaker representing Kachin State U Tin Soe said.

The lawmaker said on Tuesday that three bodies have been recovered and 54 people are still missing. It would be difficult to recover the bodies buried by the mud, he added.

The accident occurred close to midnight on Monday in the Hpakant area of Kachin state.

Landslides are not rare, and usually occur when mountainous piles of mining scraps slide down on jade scavengers.

A total of 54 workers from two mining companies, together with 40 machineries including backhoes and trucks, were underneath the mud when the large refuse pile collapsed late at night on Monday, he said.

The Ministry of Information confirmed on Facebook that 54 workers were missing. It identified the companies involved as Shwe Nagar Koe Kaung and Myanmar Thura.