About 80 people missing in an old jade mine landslide in Tharyar Kone village, Lonekhin village tract, Hpakant Township, Kachin State in the early hours of December 22 according to locals.

In an old jade mining site of 500 feet in length and 400 feet wide, landslide slide occurred from the height of 200 feet burying jade scavengers and vendors in the lake according to those involved in the rescue operation.

“The landslide took place at around 4:00 am local time. Our team estimated that more than 20 people may be missing but there is no exact data because there is no guest list or record of people living there. There are many people from all parts of Myanmar. As the missing people are deeply buried in the lake, it is not easy to do rescue work. The lake caused by jade mining is 400 or 500 deep. I think, dead bodies may appear in the lake after three or four days,” said Kyaw Win Swe, an officer from the auxiliary fire brigade department of Hpakaknt Township. 

In the evening of December 22, the body of 30 years old Ko Maung Myo was recovered and search and rescue operations were being carried out.

Those present at the area said about 80 people were missing including vendors and jade scavengers. On December 19, landslide collapsed occurred in an old site between Shayawkha and Nay Kyar villages near Sai Jar Bon village, where 6 people were missing. On December 22, three dead bodies were recovered according to locals.

Jade digging has been prevented to companies in Hpakant area but some were digging jades stealthily with heavy machines according to locals. On December 14, a jade scavenger Kyaw Win Soe was killed when a backhoe threw dump soil and rock in Nanthmaw site, Seikmu village tract. 

Landslides are frequent in Kachin State every month especially early rainy season due to jade mining, natural disasters and collapsing of waste heaps slipped down in the lake.

Hundreds of people died when a landslide occurred in 2015 in which 114 bodies were recovered. In July 2, 2020, 172 people were buried alive, 54 injured and 19 were missing after a wave of mud swept through a mine of Kyauk Myat Shwe Pyi Co., in Whaykhar village.