Giant jade stone uncovered in Myanmar

A man sits on giant jade stone at a mine in Phakant, Kachin State, northern MyanmarEPA

The state of Kachin produces some of the best jade in the world

A giant jade stone weighing 175 tonnes has been uncovered by miners in Myanmar.

The stone is 4.3m (14ft) high and 5.8m (19ft) long, and is reportedly worth an estimated $170m (£140m).

It was found in a mine in the jade-producing Kachin state, in the north of the country.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is the source of nearly all of the world's finest jadeite, a near-translucent green stone.

A man poses for photographs next to a worker preparing to cover the giant jade stone as miners gather and watch at a mine in Phakant, Kachin State, northern MyanmarEPA
Map showing Kachin State

The jade industry is responsible for nearly half of the country's GDP.

One of its biggest markets is neighbouring China, where it is known as the "stone of heaven".

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