Nine men were killed and another one injured by a collapsing slag heap as they scavenged jade remnants at a mine in Hpakant township in Kachin state in northern Myanmar, officials said on Saturday. The bodies of those killed were taken to the Hpakant township hospital, he said. About 200,000 migrant workers search amid dangerous mountains of rubble and tailings in jade mines for pieces of the valuable gemstone left behind in mining operations. Hpakant, 640 kilometres north of the capital Nay Pyi Daw, produces some of the highest-quality jade in the world. He said the government would start checking the entrances to the mining areas for illegal migrant workers in an effort to stop scavenging activities in the largely unregulated industry.

Source: Bangkok Post February 11, 2017 11:42 UTC