Chinese mine explosions kill 53

Explosions in two coal mines at opposite ends of China have killed at least 53 workers and injured many more.

A gas explosion on Saturday in Jixi, in Heilongjiang province in the north-east, killed 21 miners, said the official news agency Xinhua.

A few hours later, a similar explosion killed 32 miners in Fuyuan in Yunnan province in China's south-west.

China's mines are among the most dangerous in the world with more than 5,000 deaths reported every year.

Rescuers are still searching for six miners missing after the Jixi explosion. Twenty-eight miners were injured in the Fuyuan blast.

The causes of both explosions are being investigated.

Beijing pledged earlier this year to close all small coal mines by 2007, in a bid to improve the industry's safety record.

But coal provides more than two-thirds of China's electricity, and production has been stepped up to meet demand.