Rescue workers have rescued 25 dead after a landslide at an unregulated jade mine in a hard-to-reach area of Myanmar. A further 14 people are missing and the rescue work continues on Wednesday.
Monsoon rains and floods have hit the country in recent days. The landslide occurred outside the northern city of Hpakant. An approximately 150-180 meter high mound of earth was moved by the heavy rain and collapsed, according to the rescue workers.
The mine was closed at the time of the accident due to the rain. The victims are believed to be local residents who were digging in the mud masses in search of something valuable.
Mining the jade popular in neighboring China is a profitable business in Myanmar, but worker fatalities are common in unregulated mines. During a landslide in 2020, over 170 workers died in the same area.