Dozens Feared Dead in Another Myanmar Landslide

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Dozens of people are missing and feared dead after a landslide in northern Myanmar.

The accident took place Friday in Hpakant, Kachin state. It is the center of Myanmar’s jade mining industry. At least 100 people died in a similar disaster there last month.

Rescue workers are searching for bodies. Officials have not said how many people died or were injured.

Hpakant is about 950 kilometers northeast of Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city. It is home to some of the world’s highest-quality jade.

Global Witness is a noNPRofit organization that exposes the misuse of revenue from natural resources. It said Myanmar’s jade production was worth about $31 billion in 2014. But it says the local population sees little benefit.

Most of the mining is done by large industrial firms. Locals can only hunt through the rubble searching for pieces of jade that were overlooked.

I’m Mary Gotschall.  

Mary Gotschall adapted this story for Learning English from VOA News. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

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