YANGON, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Two more bodies were recovered after the collapse of a tailing pond in Myanmar's Kachin state on Monday, bringing the death toll to five, while over 50 jade miners were still missing, local police told Xinhua Wednesday.
The collapse took place mid-night Monday at a jade mining block in Hmaw Won village in Hpakant township, pouring mud into the block where mine workers from two private companies were working the night shift.
The mudslide buried workers and some mining equipment including backhoe and trucks.
Meanwhile, a collapse of a 18.3-meter high spoil tip occurred near Hmaw Maung Layan Hmaw village in Hpakant, causing one death and one missing and machinery such as backhoe and trucks being buried late Tuesday, according to the Information Ministry.
Also, a 30.5-meter high cliff wall also collapsed at a jade mining site near Lone Khin village in the same township on Wednesday morning, killing one person and burying some mining equipment, the ministry's release said.
Search and rescue operations are underway.
Mining-related accidents are frequent in the country's Hpakant mining region, where many people earn their living by jade scavenging.
In November 2015, a landslide in the region killed at least 116 jade scavengers with more than 100 missing.
