Of those who went missing after a landslide occurred on Sunday at an old jade mine near Mana Village in Hpakant Township, Kachin State, 23 dead bodies have been discovered, while the number of the missing people has increased, according to the search and rescue workers.

“Twenty three bodies have been recovered. Two bodies are still in the water, and five bodies could not be identified. I think social aid organizations have to cremate them. As it was raining in the morning, we had to be careful about landslides. The number of the missing people has reached up to 42,” said one of the search and rescue workers.    

The site where the landslide occurred used to be owned by Jade Mountain Company, said a local villager. 

The residents near the scene said that the death toll was a bit low because the accident took place on Sunday. Most residents go to church on Sundays.

Although the companies in Hpakant area have been banned from jade mining, some are still doing it stealthily with heavy machines, according to local sources.

There are around 300,000 local migrant workers from various parts of Myanmar in Hpakant where illegal small-scale jade mining, searches for low-quality jade pieces are rampant. There have also been deaths from landslides every month.

In a landslide that occurred on November 21, 2015 under the President U Thein Sein government, 130 people went missing, but only 114 bodies were discovered. Of them, only 84 bodies could be identified.

In another landslide that occurred on July 2, 2020 under the National League for Democracy government, 172 people were killed, 54 injured and 19 went missing.