Two missing in Siberia mine blast

Two miners are missing after a gas explosion tore through a coal mine in Siberia where 132 miners were working.

Russia's emergencies ministry said 11 miners were in the vicinity of the blast at the time, but nine of them had been evacuated, some suffering burns.

Seven rescue teams are involved in the search operation at the mine in the Kemerovo region, about 3,000 km (1,850 miles) east of Moscow.

An explosion in a coal mine in the same region left 21 dead in February.

Emergencies ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov said four miners had been injured in the blast on Wednesday.

"Other miners who were inside the mine were not in the affected areas and are being brought out now," he said.

Russia's coal mines are largely unprofitable and many have not invested in new safety equipment since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than a decade ago.