LANDSLIDES caused by heavy rains have pounded Burma's famed "Valley of Rubies" - the source of some of the world's most prized precious stones, state media said today.
The landslides struck just six weeks after deadly Cyclone Nargis devastated Burma's Irrawaddy Delta and the main city of Rangoon, leaving more than 133,000 dead and 2.4 million in need of humanitarian aid.
The latest natural disaster hit far from the cyclone zone, near the northern town of Mogok, 675km north of Rangoon.
The landslides caused some injuries and property damage, but the government mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar newspaper gave no details.
"Yeni creek of Mogok overflowed and that caused landslide. There were injured and damages on account of the landslide," the newspaper said.
Authorities in the central city of Mandalay said they had not received any details on the landslides, citing the difficulties of communication in the remote region.
The paper said torrential rains had soaked Mogok town overnight and into this morning.
For the past 700 years, Mogok's "Valley of Rubies" has been mined for "pigeon blood" rubies - considered the finest in the world - sapphires and other rare gems.
A top-notch ruby can cost more per-carat than a diamond, and Burma's ruling junta is increasingly exploiting the gems as a key source of income, auctioning them off several times a year.
Despite Western sanctions on Burma over the regime's failure to introduce democratic reforms, the auctions attract buyers from China, Thailand and other Asian nations, who reportedly spend upwards of $US100 million ($A106.9 million) at each sale.
AFP-News.com
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