At 06:30 local time (MMT) heavy rains triggered the collapse of a heap of mining waste, which came tumbling down into a lake.

The miners killed or injured by the landslide were independent "jade pickers", who scavenge tailings from larger operators and who live in ramshackle quarters at the base of large mounds of rubble.

[4] These freelance miners live in ramshackle quarters at the base of large mounds of rubble excavated by heavy machinery.

The tailings form large slopes, described by BBC News as "an area denuded of trees and resembling a moonscape", which is susceptible to collapse.

[5] The Myanmar fire service said that at the time of the incident, the open-pit mine, which was owned by a local business conglomerate, was inactive.

[4] At 06:30 local time (MMT) (UTC+06:30), heavy rains triggered the collapse of a heap of mining waste which came tumbling down into a lake.

[9] A 2021 study using six different remote sensing datasets, determined that poor design and mismanagement contributed to the disaster at the Wai Khar mine.

The study determined that the walls of the mine were exceedingly steep given the weak rock structure around the pit, leading to periodic landslides between 2013 and 2020.

In addition, piles of waste material at the site functioned as a sponge for groundwater and rainwater, and as a result leaking water led to erosion of the pit's walls.

[2] The Myanmar Army removed Kachin Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Nay Lin Tun and another commander from their posts over the accident.

Army spokesperson Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun stated that "they were responsible for reporting any trespassing in this restricted area" and that they failed in carrying this out.

[15] The Myanmar government set up an investigative body headed by Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Ohn Win.