Burial ground buried about 50 people in Myanmar

A landslide occurred yesterday in a jewel area in northern Myanmar buried about 50 people.

The landslide occurred in the afternoon of Hpakant, Kachin state, northern Myanmar, Reuters reported. Hpakant, located between China and India, is the place to exploit the highest quality gems in the world.

Workers seeking gems at a mine in Hpakant, Kachin state, Myanmar, November 28.(Photo: Reuters) .

"We heard that about 50 people were buried and found four or five bodies this morning, " said Sai Lon, a worker from a local jade mining company.

Hpakant police cannot confirm the number of casualties."We have not received information from the rescue force," an unnamed police officer said.

"The rescue operation has begun and we are looking for the bodies of the victims. We cannot provide specific figures yet, " AFP quoted Nilar Myint, Hpakant government official, as saying. However, Myo Thet Aung, the second government official, said only three or four people were missing.

Location of Hpakant area.(Graphic: Al Jazeera).

A witness described the excavators that were mobilized to clean up the rubble. Hpakant also suffered a massive landslide last month that left 114 people dead.

There are about 800 jade mining companies operating around Hpakant but only about 10 companies dominate. Most of the pearls exploited in Hpakant are thought to be smuggled to China, where they are sold at high prices.