"Dozens missing in mudslide at Myanmar jade mine", 13 January 2025

A mudslide at a Myanmar jade mine swept over a village ... and eight people were confirmed killed with dozens missing, residents of the area in Kachin state said, the latest disaster in the unregulated sector in which scores of people are killed every year.

The mud swept through Sa Paut village in Hpakant township before dawn on Monday, after a pond full of jade-mining slurry overflowed, residents said.

The bodies of three children, two women and three men, had been found by late morning but dozens were missing, residents said.

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The disaster highlights lax safety measures at the area in Hpakant where the U.K.-based rights group Global Witness estimated that nearly 400,000 people rely on scavenging precious stones, most of whom work under unsafe conditions.

Poor oversight of mining operations has worsened in the turmoil that engulfed Myanmar since the military overthrew an elected government in a February 2021 coup d’etat.

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