Chinese children die in jade rush

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Three Chinese children are reported to have died while searching for valuable jade in the northwest of the country.

Police believe the schoolchildren were buried alive under sand and rocks after they entered an unstable pit.

A search party was said to have scoured the area after the children were seen leaving their home in Xinjiang province with shovels last weekend.

Soaring prices for white hotan jade have drawn thousands of people to the area hoping to make their fortune.

Environmental damage

White hotan jade was used to make most of the seals of the ancient Chinese emperors.

The stone is described "as white as sheep fat" and is prized for its high quality texture and colour.

Dwindling supplies have pushed prices up and many thousands of people have descended on the region, some of them with heavy earthmoving equipment.

Last year experts called for action to curb prospecting after warning that the environment and historic remains in Xinjiang were being severely damaged by the jade rush.