15 feared dead in Hpakant jade mine disaster

Rescue workers believe at least fifteen people were killed on Tuesday in a massive mudslide at the mines near Sha Yaw Kha village in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township, an area known for jade production. The township is also the site of recent clashes between the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), with the latter claiming to have captured nearly a dozen army bases in Kachin State since last week. The mudslide occurred at around 4:30am near Sha Yaw Kha village. A hillside slag heap where mud and water had been building up gave way, causing an enormous mass of mud to flush down the slope. According to Ko Pwa, a rescue worker, at least 20 mine workers, truck drivers, and backhoe drivers were caught in the mudflow and carried off down the hill, buried, or drowned. Most of the mud pooled into a lake at the bottom of the hill. “We have found one dead body and four survivors in the mud,” he said. The deceased victim was identified as Myo Nyunt from Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region, whose body was found with four rescued people who had survived. While close to a dozen rescue teams were involved in the search, it would be virtually impossible to find more survivors without exposing the rescue workers to inordinate risk, Ko Pwa said, noting that the lake that most of the mud flowed into from the hillside was now more than 100 feet deep. “At least 15 people are missing. Eight backhoes and five trucks were also lost,” said Ko Pwa, adding that seven of the fifteen had been reported missing by their family members. “We could not find the rest because they were buried too deep,” he added. “We just could not continue searching because it’s impossible to search in mud at these depths.” According to Ko Pwa, the jade mine workers were employees of a company run by a man named “U Cho”, which is currently working with the rescue team to organise a funeral for the deceased victims and render aid to the injured in the hospital. U Kyi, 46, came from his farm in neighbouring Sagaing Region to Hpakant Township last year to work as a driver in the Hpakant jade mines when he found that farming was no longer sufficient to support his family. He had previously worked for a different employer in Kachin State before taking the driving job at U Cho’s company because it promised higher pay. He was caught in the mudslide after working at this new position for barely more than a week, and is now missing and presumed dead. His brother Ko Pu, 43, who asked that his real name be withheld, spoke with Myanmar Now about U Kyi, who he said was hoping to arrange for a better education for his two children, aged 13 and seven. They had been unable to attend school regularly due to the near constant conflict and political instability near their home in Sagaing Region. “I was told he would earn 700,000 kyat [US $333] a month. He planned to go back home at the end of this month,” Ko Pu said. “It had only been eight days since my brother took the job at the company,” Ko Pu said, adding that U Kyi’s wife and children are still at his home in Sagaing Region, waiting for confirmation about what happened to him. According to emergency workers, U Kyi had already been missing for at least 12 hours by Tuesday afternoon, when the team seeking survivors decided to end the rescue operation. Ko Pu said he had not seen his brother for more than three years or spoken with him apart from occasional phone calls because they were both busy with their own work and family matters, living in different townships in Sagaing Region. “As we each had our own work, he usually just called me to wish me well and say he hoped I would get rich,” he added. “I am very saddened that this happened before I could see him,” Ko Pu said. “I haven’t even eaten anything all day, the grief makes it impossible.” Ko Pu added that he wants the company to pay due compensation to his brother’s family. “Now he’s buried in the mud,” he said. “I don’t think we will ever find or see him again.” Landslide and mudflow disasters occur frequently in the jade industry in Hpakant, which generates billions of dollars in profits every year and has attracted an especially large clientele in China. Similar incidents in 2020, 2021, and 2023 each resulted in the deaths of dozens to hundreds of workers.

15 feared dead in Hpakant jade mine disaster

The mudflow, which was heavy enough to carry off several trucks and backhoes, is the latest in a series of similar deadly accidents at the Hpakant Township mines

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