(Reuters] Several people have been reported missing in a landslide that occurred at a jade mining site in northern Myanmar on Wednesday, according to media reports and a civil society group.

According to the Kachin Network Development Foundation, the landslide occurred in Hpakant State at 4 AM (2130 GMT Tuesday). There were concerns that 80 people might have been drowned by the mining waste.

“Authorities arrived on the scene around 7 a.m. and are carrying out the search,” Dashi Nawa Lawn, a representative of the civil society organization, said via telephone. He added that so far, no bodies have been discovered.

Khit Thit media and the Mizzima news portal reported that dozens were missing from the Hpakant incident, the heart of Myanmar’s secretive Jade Industry. Media reported that at least six others were killed in another mass shooting last weekend.

In the mines of Hpakant which are poorly managed, deadly landslides and other disasters are quite common. These miners draw poor workers from all over Myanmar to find gems for their export to China.

The COVID-19 pandemic and economic pressures have drew more migrants to the jademines, even though conflicts flared after the February coup by Myanmar’s military.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s government was torn apart in 2016 after promising to make the sector more sustainable. However, activists believe that very little has happened.

More than 170 people were killed in Hpakant’s worst natural disaster, which occurred in July when mining waste was deposited into a lake.

Myanmar is home to 90% of world jade production. Hpakant is the main source of most jade. Rights groups claim Hpakant has many mining firms that have links to militarists and other ethnic armed groups. These companies make billions every year.