2021 Hpakant jade mine disaster
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (December 2021) |
  Hpakant jade mine Hpakant jade mine (Myanmar) | |
| Date | 22 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Time | 04:00 MST |
| Location | Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar |
| Deaths | 20 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 25 |
| Missing | 70–80 |
On December 22, a landslide occurred at a jade mine in the town of Hpakant in Kachin State, Myanmar. The landslide killed 20 people and left at least 70 missing.[1]
Background
Myanmar is the largest supplier of jade, in a trade worth US$790 million per Myanmar's official statistics,[2] though independent estimates put it at US$30–31 billion worth per year.[3][4] According to Global Witness, the industry was worth $US 31 billion.[5][6][7] While Reuters, al Jazeera and Deutsche Welle do not say any number nor year.[2][8][9] The industry is known for frequent accidents at its mining sites. The largest jade mine in the world is at Hpakant in Kachin state.[3]
Scores of miners have been killed in smaller accidents in recent years, with independent "jade pickers" who scavenge tailings from larger operators particularly at risk.[8] These freelance miners live in ramshackle quarters at the base of large mounds of rubble excavated by heavy machinery.[10] The freelance miners are often migrants from other regions of Myanmar and are unregistered, which complicated identification of the missing people.[10] Mining is performed at the site by hundreds of people who scavenge through tailings dumped by trucks at the site. The tailings form large slopes, in a moonscape-like scene devoid of trees, which is susceptible to collapse.[3]
In 2015, a landslide killed at least 116 people in the mine.[5] After the incident and the formation of Htin Kyaw's Cabinet, led by Htin Kyaw and Aung San Suu Kyi in 2016, the cabinet promised to reform the jade industry and reduce the accidents. Activists claim, however, that little has been done in practice since the Cabinet took power that same year.[8] In 2019, fifty workers were buried in a mine collapse, resulting in the deaths of 4 miners and 2 rescue workers.[5] According to the BBC at least 100 people died in that year.[3]
Just last year, at least 175 people were killed in another landslide in the same mine. The 2020 disaster was the worst mining-related event in the country. The landslide was triggered by mining waste collapsing into the lake. More recently, a week before the 2021 landslide, another accident at a jade mine in the same area left ten miners missing.
Currently, jade mining in Myanmar is prohibited till March 2022, but these imposed laws are broken by locals who are struggling amidst low employment and poverty. In 2018, the nation passed a new law to reform the corrupted industry.[11] However, the coup d'état in February 2021 prevented any proper execution of the law.[12]
Landslide
The landslide occurred at just before daybreak at 04:00 local time on Wednesday.[13] The likely cause for the landslide was an overflow of mining waste dumped by trucks into the open-pit mine.[14]
Casualties
In a statement by the Kachin News Group, 20 miners were killed.[15] It is thought that between 70 and 80 people are missing; swept into a nearby lake in the mine. Agence France-Presse confirmed the death of a worker and 25 others were hospitalized for injuries.[16] In a news report, the BBC believes majority of the victims were illegal miners.[14]
Aftermath
Rescue workers arrived at the scene of the landslide at 07:00 local time.[13] According to an official, 200 rescuers went into the lake by boats to search for bodies.[15]
References
- ^ "One dead, at least 70 missing after landslide at Myanmar jade mine". Yangon, Myanmar. Channel News Asia. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Myanmar: Over 100 Dead in Jade Mine Landslide Disaster". Deutsche Welle. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Myanmar jade mine landslide kills 160". BBC News. 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Dreams of Myanmar's 'Unwashed' Jade Miners Buried by Disaster". The Malay Mail. 5 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "Jade mine landslide kills at least 100 in Myanmar, with more people still missing". CNN. 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Mass Burial for Scores Killed in Myanmar Jade Mine Disaster". The Gulf Times. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ "Myanmar mine collapse: At Least 103 Killed and 200 Buried After Mine Disaster in Hpakant". The Express. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "At least 113 killed as Myanmar jade mine collapse buries workers". Reuters. 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Families Mourn as Myanmar Jade Mine Disaster Kills More than 170". al Jazeera. 5 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Landslide kills more than 100 in "dystopian wasteland" of Myanmar's jade mines". CBS News. 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Myanmar's flawed new gemstone law set to restart gemstone permits in tainted sector". Global Witness. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "One dead, at least 70 missing after landslide at Myanmar jade mine". MalaysiaNow. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ a b Reuters (22 December 2021). "Myanmar jade mine landslide leaves dozens feared missing". Cable News Network. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
{{cite news}}:|author1=has generic name (help) - ^ a b "Myanmar: At least one dead, 70 missing in jade mine landslide". BBC News. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ a b "One dead, at least 70 missing after landslide at Myanmar jade mine". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "At Least 70 People Are Missing in Landslide at Myanmar Jade Mine". Voice of America. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.