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Article

1 Jul 2020

Author:
Saw Nang and Richard C. Paddock, New York Times

Myanmar: Jade mine collapse kills over 100 workers; Death toll expected to rise

"Myanmar Jade Mine Collapse Kills Over 100", 2 July 2020

 At least 113 miners were killed on Thursday and scores remained missing in northern Myanmar after a huge pile of muddy waste at a jade mine collapsed into an open pit, triggering a deadly wave, an official said.

The disaster occurred after a heavy rainstorm in Hpakant township in Kachin State, where miners labor in notoriously hazardous conditions to produce jade worth billions of dollars.

The death toll... is expected to rise...

The pile of mine waste known as tailings was more than 250 feet high when it collapsed into an open-pit mine where a lake had formed from recent rains, unleashing a tsunami. The wave overtook many of the miners, who drowned in the muddy water...

“At least 200 will be killed from this,” said U Kyaw Min, administrator for Wai Khar District... Mine collapses are a frequent occurrence in the jade mining region of Kachin State...