Two miners have been killed and one miner has been injured after a jade mine cliff collapsed in the area between Kawng San and Moe Kar villages in Seik Mu (Sai Tawng) in Hpakant, Kachin State.
The incident took place at 8 pm on August 29 while the three miners were working on a former plot owned by Aung Hein Min Company and they fell down the cliff after it collapsed, according to local witnesses.
“Gemstone mining companies don’t follow the law that has been set down by the government. They don’t fill in the earth after they shut down their work sites. The cliffs have started to crack due to excess use of machines during the open season. The cliffs collapse in the monsoon and the death toll has been rising,” U Ying Hkaw, an official from Green Land, said on the issue of the rise in death tolls caused by frequent landslides and collapse of cliffs.
He urged miners not to do reckless mining and work in plots with expired licenses and advised them to seek permission from the local authorities before mining for one’s own capacity.
The injured miner is currently seeking medical treatment at Hpakant Hospital.
