Landslide at Myanmar jade mining site kills at least 15

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — A landslide in northern Myanmar, the world’s largest source of jade, has killed 15 miners and left at least 35 others missing. Local residents say the accident occurred in a remote mountainous region at the center of the lucrative jade mining industry. They say earth and waste from several mines slid about 90 meters (300 feet) down on more than 50 miners and mechanics, Similar accidents occur several times a year, with the victims usually scavengers who hunt for bits of jade in giant mounds of discarded earth that has been excavated by mining companies. Human rights activists say jade mining is an important source of revenue for Myanmar’s military government.