DHAKA: A landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar has killed at least 50 people.

The state of Kachin produces some of the best jade in the world, but landslides are not uncommon, reports the BBC.

Most of the dead are thought to be people who tried to make a living by climbing on waste material dumped from nearby mines, searching with their hands for fragments of discarded jade.

It's unclear what caused the collapse of the heap of waste material.

One local man told the BBC that he saw more than 50 bodies dug out of the debris on Saturday evening.

Dozens of huts at the site were also buried by the landslide.

Communications with this part of Kachin State are poor and details are hard to confirm.

BDST: 0910 HRS, NOV 22, 2015
RS