Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Many raw jade miners have been estimated to have been killed in a landslide on Friday after a giant amount of dump soil over 1,000 feet high collapsed in Hpakant, Kachin State.
“I run as soon as I heard about the landslide. There were about 30 people running behind me. When I arrived on the hill, I looked back and I didn’t see anyone. Other estimates the death toll to be over 50,” said Phoe Tin Lay, who escaped from the landslide.
Located between Khunkhar village and Shansu village, the dump soil has been dumped by two big gem companies – Yazahtarni and Aung Min Hein.
Local residents say there is a cave with water at the area of the dump site so the water eroded at the base of the dump soil, leading to the landslide as the area could not bear the weight of the soil.
The area where the landslide took place in Hpakant (Photo – Aung Hein Min/EMG)
Although many have estimated the death toll to range between 50 and 100, the authorities stated that they have not collected an exact figure and expect the death toll to be lesser than estimated.
“Some lived in tents by themselves or with another person. They have been buried under the landslide so how are they going to come and give their names?” said a raw jade miner.
Although the incident took place around 11 am when the dump trucks were given a rest, a big jade has been found so the owner and his workers were at the base of the dump soil so they were all buried under the landslide, according to eye witnesses.
A similar incident took place near Mawmaungbon village on January 6 and the death toll was estimated to be high, but the search halted after finding four bodies. Now, the search is being conducted, but no dead bodies have been recovered so far. The local residents have been criticizing the company for using only one backhoe to searching for the bodies.
The area where the landslide took place in Hpakant (Photo – Aung Hein Min/EMG)
Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar News
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
