Search Called off at Myanmar Jade Mine
Rescuers Friday called off the search at a jade mine in war-torn northern Myanmar that was struck by a landslide this week after all missing people were accounted for, police said.
Four bodies were pulled from the rubble at the mine in Hpakant town, Kachin state, which was engulfed by a wall of mud on Tuesday evening.
The landslide is believed to have occurred when debris heaped beside the mine collapsed after it was loosened by heavy rains.
"We stopped our search and rescue today as we found all missing persons," Police Major Naing Win of Hpakant police station told Agence France Presse.
The death toll could have been considerably higher had the landslide hit earlier in the day, he added. Instead it struck around 7:05 pm (1235 GMT) after most miners had returned home to eat dinner.
"About eight tents selling food were there with very few customers inside when the landslide occurred. That's why there were fewer casualties," Major Naing Win said.
Up to 90 percent of the world's jadeite -- the most sought-after type of jade -- is mined in Hpakant, feeding a vast appetite for the green stone in Asia and particularly China, where it is believed to ward off evil spirits and improve health.
Accidents and landslides at Myanmar's jade mines are commonplace.
The famously murky trade in the resource-rich nation has seen lower sales in recent years in part because of an upsurge in fighting in Kachin.
But it remains highly lucrative and observers say a slice of all jade revenue finds its way into the pockets of Kachin rebels, who have a large presence in the area.
Some 100,000 people have been displaced in the state since a 17-year ceasefire between the government and ethnic Kachin rebels broke down in June 2011.
Tensions have soared in recent weeks during an uptick in violence between the army and rebels in the region, near the border with China.
Source: Agence France Presse
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