Five bodies recovered from landslide in Hpakant

Photo – Victims of the landslide and those engaged in rescue efforts at the landslide site. Five bodies have been recovered from the landslide that occurred in Nam Hpaw village, Seik Mu village tract, Hpakant Township, Kachin State, according to local residents. The old waste dump near Nam Hpaw village collapsed around 1 AM yesterday (June 28). Five bodies were excavated on the same day, according to local residents. Four of the deceased were buried yesterday within the day, according to the social media page of the local social welfare organization, "Thinkha." "The rains are falling, so the soil is soft. It is not easy to search for stones by washing them in Hpakant. It is done at the risk of one's life," said a stone searcher. The deceased have been identified as Ko Soe Aung Thein (29), Ko Win San (32), Ko Zaw Naing Lin (35), Ko Maung Maung San (47), and Ko Myo Lin Htay (24), all residents of Nam Hpaw village, according to local media outlet Uru Daily News. Regarding this landslide, some local media have reported that seven people were buried, while some local residents claim the number is around 20. Mizzima has not yet been able to independently confirm these discrepancies in numbers. In Hpakant Township, Kachin State, a world-renowned jade-producing region, landslides frequently bury stone searchers, leading to life-threatening situations. Those who search for jade in waste dumps and old mining plots abandoned by major jade mining companies are locally known as "water-washing stone searchers." Editor: Aung Kyaw Phyo