Landslide Kills Nearly 100 People In Myanmar

A landslide in northern Myanmar has killed at least 97 people, with more than 100 others still feared missing, according to an official.

The disaster unfolded near a jade mine in Hpakant in Kachin state on Saturday.

Scores of people were sifting through a mountain of debris dumped by mechanical diggers to extract the valuable precious stone when the mountain gave way.

By Sunday afternoon 97 bodies had been pulled from the rubble, Tin Swe Myint, head of the Hpakant Township Administration Department, told news agency Reuters.

He added that the "chances of finding anyone alive are very thin", as hopes dwindle for those still missing.

Although the region is home to some of the world's highest-quality jade - generating billions of pounds a year in revenue - most of this money ends up in the hands of companies and individuals linked to the country's former military rulers.

Many parts of the country - also known as Burma - remain desperately poor, and some unofficial miners have been known to risk their lives by digging through the scraps of expansive cave mines.

Many of the miners were sleeping in huts when the tragedy happened, according to a state-run newspaper.

There are conflicting reports on the number of dead and missing, with some reports suggesting up to 200 people may still be buried under the rubble.

"We just don't know how many people exactly were buried since we don't have any data on people living there," Tin Swe Myint said.

"It was just a slum with these ... workers living in makeshift tents. Nobody knows for sure how many and where they had come from."

It was unclear what triggered the landslide.

Last week, it was announced that Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party has won a majority in Myanmar's parliament.

Although Ms Suu Kyi - known as The Lady by many - has been barred from becoming president, she has vowed to be the power behind the next leader.

The National League for Democracy now has the task of naming a cabinet, in what will be Myanmar's first truly civilian government for more than 50 years.