The incident occurred at 4am in the Hpakant area of Kachin State according to a civil society group and media reports. An official from Kachin Network Development Foundation said more than 80 people have been swept into a lake by mining waste.

       Dashi Lawan, an official at the civil society group said: “Authorities arrived at the site around 7am and are conducting the search.”

       Mizzima news portal and Khit Thit media also reported dozens appeared to be missing in the incident in Hpakant, which is the centre of Myanmar's jade industry.

       Last weekend, the area witnessed another landslide that claimed six lives, a report said.

       Myanmar’s jade mines are notoriously dangerous.

       Deadly landslides and other accidents are common in the mines of Hpakant, which are poorly regulated and draw impoverished workers from across Myanmar in search of gems mostly for export to China.

       Hpakant is home to the world's biggest jade mine with the trade in Myanmar reported to be worth more than $30 billion (￡24bn) a year.

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       In 2020, more than 160 people were buried alive after a wave of mud swept through a mine in Hpakant, while 54 people died in 2019 when a lake broke its banks.

       Pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn more migrants to the mines even though conflict has flared in Myanmar since the military seized power in a coup in February.

       Aung San Suu Kyi's ousted government had pledged to clean up the industry when it came to power in 2016.

       However, activists say little has changed.

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       In a separate development, Myanmar's oldest rebel force has called for international help to establish a no-fly zone near the country's border with Thailand.

       It comes after a warning of clashes with the army resulting in civilians being targeted by air strikes.

       Fighting has escalated between the army and the Karen National Union (KNU), prompting thousands of people to seek refuge in Thailand.

       Reuters reports that about 3,400 people have taken shelter in the country over recent days.

       Thousands more are stranded on the Myanmar side of the border, waiting to cross.

       In a statement released this week, the KNU warned of a "high possibility" of military air strikes on civilians.

       The head of the KNU's foreign affairs department, Saw Taw Nee, told Reuters: "These air strikes won't target military bases but civilian bases as in schools, hospitals, houses and villages."

       A spokesman for Myanmar's military junta did not answer calls seeking comment.

       Additional reporting by Jon King