Over 100 killed in Myanmar jade mine landslide

At least 113 people were killed and as many as 100 others remained missing after a huge pile of muddy waste at a jade mine collapsed into an open pit on Thursday, triggering a flood, in northern Myanmar, officials said.

The disaster occurred after a heavy rainstorm in Hpakant township, Kachin State, where miners work 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, triggering a tsunami. The wave overtook many of the miners, who drowned in the muddy water, the official said,

Video footage of the collapse showed the wave rising dozens of feet high as the green water swept from one end of the mine to the other. Photos from the site showed the bodies of more than 30 miners laid out in rows on the rocky ground as dozens of men stood by.

Myanmar is the world's biggest source of jade but its mines have seen numerous accidents, many involving people who scavenge for stones.

Initially, after the landslide, the country's fire service department said in a Facebook post: "Now in total 50 dead bodies. We are still working on the rescue process."

It added: "The jade miners were smothered by a wave of mud, which hit after heavy rainfall."

More than 100 bodies were recovered, and at least 33 miners were seriously injured, including six who were in comas, according to one of the rescue officials.

It is unclear exactly who was affected by the accident. Hundreds of people gather at mines to sift through rubble discarded from lorries, hoping to find jade stones.

The rubble creates large slopes that can be dangerous.

More than 100 people died last year alone at mining sites.

Myanmar's jade trade is reported to be worth more than $30bn (£24bn) a year. Hpakant is the site of the world's biggest jade mine.

(Source: BBC, The New York Times)