Myanmar landslide: 90 dead at Kachin jade mine

Yangon, Apr 23 (UNI) A landslide at a jade mine has killed at least 90 people in northern Myanmar, witnesses say.
The victims were buried when a vast heap of waste material, discarded by the mining companies, collapsed in Kachin state, Myanmar media reported.
Many of the dead were scavengers living on or near the waste dumps, who search through the debris in the hope of finding fragments of jade to sell.
The state of Kachin produces some of the best jade in the world.
The landslide in Hpakant happened on Saturday, and there are reports of dozens more missing.
A huge rescue operation is underway with the Myanmar Red Cross, the army, police and local community groups all at the scene trying to dig people out of the earth.
The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said that many of the dead were asleep in huts when the landslide happened.
It is unclear what caused the collapse of the heap of waste material.
Communications with this part of Kachin State are poor and details are hard to confirm.
Many jade mining areas have been turned into a moon-like areas of environmental destruction as huge diggers churn the earth in search of the translucent green stones.
UNi XC-SNU 1625