At least 5 dead, 15 missing after landslide at Myanmar jade mine
© AFPAt least 5 dead, 15 missing after landslide at Myanmar jade mine
Monsoon rains triggered the collapse of a slag heap at a disused jade mine in northern Myanmar, killing five people and leaving around 15 others missing. The victims were freelance scavengers searching for gem fragments when the heap gave way late Sunday (June 28) in Kachin state's Hpakant township.

State media reported that approximately 20 scavengers were working under floodlights when they were buried. The Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper stated that days of heavy rain had left the old mine waste heaps unstable. Search teams continue to dig for those who remain missing. "The collapse occurred after days of heavy rain left old mine waste heaps unstable. At least five people have been confirmed dead, and around 15 remain missing. Search teams continue digging for those still missing," the publication reported.


Mass casualty accidents occur frequently at Myanmar's mines, particularly during the monsoon season. Heavy rains destabilise sites where workers dig unsafe shafts or accumulate precarious waste heaps. The impoverished locals who sift through discarded rubble for fragments missed by main mining operations represent the bottom rung of this highly profitable industry.

Northern Kachin state serves as the world's largest source of jadeite, a gemstone considered auspicious in many Asian cultures and highly lucrative in neighbouring China. Myanmar maintains a massive unregulated mining sector. Factions fighting in the country's post-coup civil war control many of these mines, utilising the profits to fund their operations while local workers toil underground or scrounge for leftovers to earn a living. Hpakant has recently experienced vicious combat as the Myanmar military and opposition forces vie for control over the jade mining operations.

Myanmar has been consumed by civil war since 2021, when the military toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. This coup ended a decade-long experiment with democracy in the nation.