The authorities in Myanmar have said that the death toll from a landslide in a jade mine in the north of the country; It rose to at least 162, and there are fears of a rise in the number.
The General Fire Corporation stated - in a statement - that a collapse occurred in a precious jade stone mine in the town of Hibbakant in Kachin State, which resulted in the death of 162 workers and the injury of 54 others.
She noted that search and rescue work is still ongoing to recover workers still under the rubble, with about 200 workers working in the mine; Adding to fears of a high death toll.
Earlier in the day, Myanmar authorities said miners had died after a huge mass of 250-foot long jumbo mine fell into an open pit, adding that the collapse was caused by a severe rainstorm that hit the town of Hibbakant in Kachin State.
For its part, German news agency quoted officials in the town's emergency agency that the victims were searching for jade in an open mine when they were struck by a silt wave, caused by heavy rains.
An influential
sector The Myanmar jade sector is valued at about $ 31 billion annually, and represents about half of the gross domestic product of Myanmar, according to 2015 estimates by Global Witness.
The organization said that a large amount of this money is circulating on the black market and does not enter the state coffers, which failed to regulate this sector, in light of the armed conflict and the struggle for power in relation to the natural resources in the state.
The organization notes that the influential elites there are those who control the jade sector, as these elites have controlled mines estimated at billions of dollars, under the previous military dictatorship in Myanmar.