Myanmar: More than 50 people feared killed in jade mine collapse
Legislator Tin Soe said rescue workers retrieved the bodies of three miners on Tuesday.
More than 50 people are believed to have been killed after a jade mine collapsed in Myanmar’s Kachin state on Monday, Reuters reported. Legislator Tin Soe said rescue workers retrieved the bodies of three miners on Tuesday.
Officials said 54 workers and 40 machines are believed to be trapped in the debris. “They won’t survive. It is not possible because they are buried under mud,” Tin Soe told Reuters. “It is very difficult to retrieve the bodies.”
The country’s multi-billion dollar jade industry has long been shrouded in secrecy amid several complaints of human rights violations. Landslides and accidents are common in the poorly regulated mines.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Information identified the mining companies involved as the Shwe Nagar Koe Kaung and Myanmar Thura.
In July 2018, at least 27 people died after heavy rains led to a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar.