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             At Least 100 Killed in Landslide at Myanmar Jade Mine

   by VOA News

   Myanmar state media says at least 100 bodies have been recovered from a
   landslide near a jade mine in the northern region of the country.

   Local officials say more people are missing after the massive collapse
   Saturday in Hpakant, Kachin State.

   An official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to
   speak to the media, said that the accident occurred near a mining site
   controlled by Triple One Jade Mining at around 3 a.m. on Saturday.

   People often risk their lives sifting through the tailings and waste of
   the mine in the hope of finding a piece of jade to sell.

   Kachin, around 950 kilometers (600 miles) northeast of Yangon,
   Myanmar's biggest city, is home to some of the world's highest-quality
   jade and the industry brings in billions of dollars every year. .

   [1]Global Witness, an organization that investigates the misuse of
   revenue from natural resources, put the value of Myanmar's jade
   production as high as $31 billion in 2014. The group says "This figure
   equates to nearly half of the entire country's GDP [gross national
   product], and over 46 times national spending on health, yet the local
   population sees little benefit."

   According to [2]Global Witness, Myanmar's jade trade is "secretly
   controlled by networks of military elites, drug lords and crony
   companies" tied to the country's "darkest days of junta rule."

   Some material for this report came from AP, AFP and Reuters.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [3]http://www.voanews.com/content/thirty-die-in-landslide-at-myanmar-ja
   de-mine/3068810.html

References

   1. https://www.globalwitness.org/
   2. https://www.globalwitness.org/campaigns/oil-gas-and-mining/myanmarjade/
   3. http://www.voanews.com/content/thirty-die-in-landslide-at-myanmar-jade-mine/3068810.html