The site of a landslide at a jade mine in Kachin State, Myanmar, where as many as 100 people were feared missing.
© European Pressphoto Agency The site of a landslide at a jade mine in Kachin State, Myanmar, where as many as 100 people were feared missing.
At least 13 people have been killed by a landslide in Myanmar's northern jade-mining region that left dozens missing, an official has said.

Two piles of mining debris collapsed late on Monday after two days of rain, Myo Thet Aung, deputy head of Hpakant township administration office in Kachin State, said on Tuesday.

"We recovered 11 bodies last night and two more this morning," he said, adding that the death toll was expected to rise.

"Witnesses said there were about 100 workers when the accident occurred," he told DPA news agency. "Many are still buried."

Myanmar Times reported that the search had been temporary called off due to heavy rain.


At least 10 injured miners were being treated at a hospital in Hpakant, the report said.

Earlier this month, at least 13 people were killed in a similar landslide in the same region, known for supplying some of the highest-quality jade in the world.

In November 2015 in the same area, at least 113 people were killed in a large landslide.

The jade industry in Myanmar is dominated by companies linked to leaders of the previous military government, ethnic rebels and businessmen with close connections to the former junta.

A civilian administration took power this year for the first time in decades.

Jade production in Myanmar was worth around $31bn in 2014, according to environmental advocacy group Global Witness.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies