Seventeen miners were killed by a dynamite explosion at a coal mine in central China, authorities said today.

Two passenger trains collided today in an accident that killed three people and injured 60 as train cars were derailed and nearby houses knocked over, Chinese state media and an official said.

Snowstorms that have battered many parts of China over the last three weeks have killed at least 60 people and caused 53.3bn Yuan (€5bn) in damage.