YANGON — At least one person died and dozens are missing after a landslide occurred at a jade mining site in northern Myanmar, BBC reported.

The landslide occurred in the Hpakant area of Kachin state at around 04:00 local time on Wednesday (21:30 GMT Tuesday).

Rescue operations are currently underway, with most of the victims believed to be illegal jade miners.

"About 70-100 people are missing" following the landslide that struck around 4:00 am (2130 GMT Tuesday), rescue team member Ko Nyi, told AFP news agency.

"We've sent 25 injured people to hospital while we've found one dead."

Around 200 rescuers were searching to recover bodies, with some using boats to search for the dead in a nearby lake, he added.

A photo posted on social media by a local journalist who said he was at the scene showed dozens of people standing on the edge of the lake, with some launching boats into the water.

Local outlet Kachin News Group said 20 miners had been killed in the landslide.

Myanmar's fire services said its personnel from Hpakant and nearby town of Lone Khin were involved in the rescue effort but gave no figures of dead or missing.

Myanmar is the world's biggest source of jade but its mines have seen numerous accidents over the years.

Jade mining is banned in Hpakant, but locals often defy regulations, driven by lack of employment and impoverished conditions that have worsened from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Several days ago, at least 10 unskilled miners went missing in a landslide at a jade block in Hpakant.

In 2020, more than 160 people - most of whom were migrants - died in one of the worst disasters in Hpakant after mining waste collapsed into a lake.

A new gemstone mining law was passed in 2018, but critics say the government has too few inspectors with only limited authority to stop illegal practices.

Myanmar's jade trade is reported to be worth more than $30bn (£24bn) a year, with Hpakant being the site of the world's biggest jade mine. — Agencies