2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse

On 22 April 2019, a landslide triggered the collapse of a jade mine near Maw Wun Kalay, Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar, trapping at least 54 miners.[1][2] The deaths of four miners were confirmed, along with the later deaths of two rescue workers. [3][4]

2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse
Date22 April 2019
LocationMaw Wun Kalay, Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar
Coordinates25°36′44.45″N 96°18′45.14″E
Deaths6 (including two rescue workers)
Missing50+

Collapse

At 23:30 MMT, a mud-filled pond at a jade mine in Hpakant collapsed.[1] The mud and tailings in the pond buried miners below it in up to 30.5 metres of mud.[5] At the time, the miners were asleep in their residences, which were located below the mine.[6]

Rescue efforts

Rescue efforts were started on 23 April, the morning after the collapse.[2] The efforts were coordinated by the local government and welfare organizations. According to Tin Soe, a politician representing the area, removing the mud "could cost millions of dollars."[5] Four bodies were recovered.[3] The search for more miners was cancelled on 26 April, after another landslide killed two of the rescue workers.[4]

Reactions

In response to the collapse, the acting UN Resident Coordinator to Myanmar called on the country to implement new safety legislation to protect mine workers.[3] The natural resource minister of Kachin said that he would take action against mining companies involved in the incident,[7] and said that he wanted mining companies to work to improve the safety of their mines.[8] The Myanmar central government suspended operations in seventeen mine blocks in Hapakant, affecting eleven companies.[9]

See also

References

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