<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Rescuers have recovered 25 bodies while 14 people remain missing after a landslide at an unregulated jade mine in a remote region of Myanmar, emergency workers said Tuesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Myanmar has been hit with torrential rain and floods in recent days and the landslide occurred Sunday outside northern Kachin's Hpakant township.</div><div><br></div><div>Jade mining in Myanmar is a lucrative business but the unregulated industry is plagued with frequent worker deaths including more than 170 fatalities in the same area following a 2020 landslide.</div><div><br></div><div>"We found 25 dead bodies in total today," a rescue worker told AFP on Tuesday, adding that 14 people were still missing and the recovery effort would continue Wednesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Rescuers had to dig through mud to find bodies, while others were floating in water.</div><div><br></div><div>A massive pile of earth about 150-180 metres (500-600 feet) high left behind by mining excavations was loosened by the intense rainfall and collapsed, according to rescuers.</div><div><br></div><div>The mine's operations had been suspended during the rainy season, but those caught in the landslide were believed to be locals hoping to find something valuable in the mud.</div><div><br></div><div>The jade industry relies on low-paid migrant workers to scrape out a gem highly coveted in neighbouring China.</div><div><br></div><div>Jade and other abundant natural resources in Myanmar's north -- including timber, gold and amber -- have helped finance both sides of a decades-long civil war between ethnic Kachin insurgents and the military.</div><div><br></div><div>While environmentalist and rights groups have long called for reforms, a 2021 military coup effectively ended hopes for better standards in the industry, according to international watchdogs.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>