Around 10 people are missing after a mining reservoir collapsed in the Kuday Hmaw jade mining area of Hpakant Township, Kachin State.

About 20 scavengers searching for jadeite fragments in a nearby soil dump were swept away when the reservoir’s structure suddenly collapsed. Locals say 10 survived, while the others are still missing.

The mining reservoir collapsed around 9:30 pm on February 16, and by the following morning, 10 people were still missing, a local told KNG.

“When the reservoir burst, around 20 people were swept away; 10 managed to swim back to safety, while the other 10 are still missing,” he said.

At the time of the incident, roughly 70 scavengers were hunting for jadeite in the area, and around 20 were carried away by the water. The 10 survivors sustained injuries, and rescue and search operations are ongoing.

“Suddenly, the reservoir burst, sweeping the scavengers away. The waves were so strong that only about 10 people managed to be rescued, and the area quickly filled with muddy water,” a witness reported.

As of the morning of February 17, local relief and social aid groups were working together to search for the missing.

Hpakant Township, famed as the land of jade for its high-quality deposits, is a hotspot of fierce fighting between the junta and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Despite the dangers surrounding the mining operations, many people risk their lives in jade mining to earn a livelihood.

Hpakant has previously seen soil dump collapses and other jade mining accidents, which have claimed the lives of jade scavengers.