Jade Mine Disaster Moves GFA to Call for 'Compassionate Prayer'

Local GFA World pastor comforts bereaved families after horrific mudslide kills more than 160 at Myanmar jade mining site

GFA World has called for “compassionate prayer” after more than 160 people were killed last month by a horrific mudslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar.

Several Christians living in a nearby village work at the jade mine, but fortunately no one from the local church was reported missing or dead, GFA World, said.

The pastor said several of his church members were late going to work and missed the landslide. Now he’s ministering to bereaved families, comforting them and praying for them, GFA World said.

According to news reports, a massive river of mud and rock triggered by heavy rains swept into the mining site, burying workers and people scavenging for precious stones. A state official described it as “like a tsunami.”

Graphic images showed rescue workers pulling bodies from the debris and laying them in rows under a tarp.

‘Compassionate Prayer’

“Our heartfelt prayers are with the families of all the workers who died in this terrible disaster as well as the injured,” said GFA World founder, Dr. K.P. Yohannan. “The people of Myanmar are among the most kind-hearted and loving on the planet. Right now, we can lift them up to our Lord Jesus in compassionate prayer.”

The disaster, which occurred on July 2 in the Hpakant area of Kachin state, was captured on video, showing the mudslide pouring into the mining site.

On a typical day, hundreds of people gather at the site to sift through rubble looking for precious jade stones. Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is the world’s biggest source of jade.

Right now, heavy monsoon rains are lashing parts of northeast India, another area prone to disastrous flooding and potentially deadly landslides. Since May, catastrophic floods have killed more than 80 people in the region, and 2.5 million have been forced to flee their homes.

The deadly flooding comes as India faces a spike in COVID-19 cases. The South Asian nation -- the second most populous country in the world -- now has more than 1.1 million recorded COVID-19 cases, the third highest after the U.S. and Brazil.

GFA World provides emergency aid, clean water, education, vocational training, and spiritual support to millions of South Asia’s poorest and most vulnerable families. For more information, visit www.gfa.ca.