Sharjah 24 – AFP: Fading light forced Myanmar rescuers to call off a search for dozens of people feared missing after a landslide near a jade mine that killed at least one person, emergency workers told AFP on Wednesday.
Scores die each year working in the country's lucrative but poorly regulated jade trade, which sees low-paid migrant workers scrape out gems highly coveted in neighbouring China.
The disaster struck at a mine in northern Kachin state's Hpakant township, close to the Chinese border, where billions of dollars of the precious mineral are believed to be scraped from bare hillsides each year.
Rescuers initially said at least 70 were feared missing after the landslide struck around 4:00 am (2130 GMT Tuesday), but later added they were still trying to confirm that number.
"The search has stopped for the moment, we will continue tomorrow morning when the fog and mist are clear," Ko Jack from the Myanmar Rescue Organisation said.
"It seems they are buried underneath soil. It's cold here that's why we have stopped, but will continue.
Around 200 rescuers were working to recover bodies, with some using boats to search for the dead in the lake, he added.
Pictures posted by Myanmar's fire services showed dozens of people lined up along the lakeshore and rescuers carrying an unidentified object up from the water.
The fire services, who said personnel from Hpakant and the nearby town of Lone Khin were involved in the rescue effort, could not be reached for comment.
Access to the mines in the remote north of the country is heavily restricted by the military and internet access is patchy.
Local outlet Kachin News Group said more than 20 miners were killed in the landslide.
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