Rescuers recover 33 bodies from a landslide at a Myanmar jade mine, with 3 people still missing

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Rescuers have recovered the bodies of 33 people from a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar and are searching for three people believed to be missing. In the landslide on Sunday in Hpakant, the center of the world’s largest jade mining district, earth and debris from several mines slid about 300 meters (1,000 feet) down a cliff into a lake below, carrying more than 35 miners with it. A rescue leader says about 150 people using small boats recovered the bodies from the muddy lake in Kachin state. Human rights activists say jade mining is an important source of revenue for Myanmar’s military-installed government. Opponents of army rule advocate sanctions and boycotts to reduce jade sales.