Myanmar debris: 'Mystery object lands at jade mine'

The cylindrical object, found on Thursday in Kachin state, is 4.5m (15ft) long and 1.2m wide

A large metal object has fallen from the sky into a jade mining area in north Myanmar, state media say.

The cylindrical object, found on Thursday in Kachin state, is 4.5m (15ft) long and 1.2m wide.

Another piece of metal with Chinese writing on it tore through the roof of a nearby house at about the same time, but no injuries were reported.

It is thought that the incident might be related to the launch of a Chinese satellite.

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A Chinese Long March 11 rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on Wednesday night, carrying an experimental satellite.

'Houses shook'

Local residents reported hearing a loud bang before the object landed.

Officials from the local Defence Service said it bounced 150ft (50m) and landed in a muddy area of the mine, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

"We were all afraid of that explosion," villager Ko Maung Myo told the Myanmar Times. "Initially, we thought it was a battle. The explosion made our houses shake. We saw the smoke from our village."

He said that the air near the object smelled acrid.

"The metal objects are assumed to be part of a satellite or the engine parts of a plane or missile," Global New Light reported.

The object appeared to be same shape and size as a part of the rocket known as a stage, says BBC science correspondent Jonathan Amos.

Rocket stages are supposed to fall away into bodies of water or uninhabited areas.

The Kachin state government said it was unable to immediately identify the object.