Landslide at Myanmar's 'Ok Mine'... At Least 12 Dead and Around 30 Missing

About 30 Missing... Search Operations Underway at the Site
Frequent Landslides Have Occurred in the Area Before

A massive landslide occurred in the jade mining area of ??Pakan Township, Kachin State, northern Myanmar, killing at least 12 people and leaving about 30 missing.

A landslide occurred at a jade mine in Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar, resulting in at least 12 deaths and around 30 people missing. The photo shows the mine where the landslide took place. Photo by Xinhua Yonhap News.

According to the AP News on the 14th, 12 bodies, including 4 children, were found in the landslide that occurred the day before in the jade mining area of ??the township (district), and about 50 houses were buried under the mud, leaving many people missing, local residents said.

Rescue operations are currently underway, but additional damage is feared due to harsh conditions and rapidly worsening weather. Rescue teams are struggling to find the missing in the mud, but the dangerous working environment is making rescue efforts very difficult. Local independent media reported that the number of missing people ranges from 30 to 50.

Pakan is the largest jade-producing area in Myanmar, located about 950 km north of Yangon. The jade produced in this area is of excellent quality and is highly regarded worldwide. However, due to inadequate safety management of the mines, major accidents frequently occur. This accident happened in the same area where a landslide killed 113 people in November 2015 and another landslide claimed at least 162 lives in July 2020.

This landslide is known to have occurred due to weakened ground caused by heavy rainfall. In addition to these natural factors, most of the workers in the mines are undocumented migrants from other regions, making it difficult to accurately determine the number of missing persons in the event of an accident. They usually perform dangerous work under poor working conditions, and limited access to rescue operations in case of accidents causes even greater damage.