YANGON, July 8 (Reuters) - A landslide caused by torrential rain killed about 30 people in northern Myanmar at the weekend when it swept away their homes, which were built on a mine dump, people in contact with the area said on Wednesday. The accident occurred at Lonkhin Jade Mine near Phakant, in an area about 1,500 km (930 miles) north of Yangon known as Jade Land. "So far as we heard from our field offices, about 30 people were killed when their houses built on the mine dump were swept away in the flash flood caused by torrential rain on July 4," said a Yangon-based jade merchant, who has offices in Lonkhin and Phakant. A government official from Myitkyina, about 80 km (50 miles) east of Phakant, confirmed the accident. "We also heard there were some casualties in the landslide, which came last Saturday after it had rained heavily for about four days," said the official, who asked not to be identified as talking to the media is prohibited. "The road between Lonkhin and Phakant remains blocked and inaccessible." Such accidents are common in the rainy season in that area, known for Myanmar's famous ruby and jade. At least 20 people were killed in flash floods in Moegok and Phakant in June and July last year. (Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Alan Raybould and Sugita Katyal)
A journalist stands at the site of a mountain landslide in Khen Len village, in Vietnam's northern Bac Kan province, July 7, 2009. Vietnamese soldiers and police used sniffer dogs on ...
