NANCHANG: An explosion at a shipyard in east China's Jiangxi Province early Saturday has left five workers dead and one missing.

The accident happened at 2:10 a.m. at the Tongfang Jiangxin Shipbuilding Co. shipyard in Hukou County, local safety authorities said.

The cause of the accident is not yet known.

The accident's victims were workers from Jingcheng Industrial Co., a subcontractor that paints and decorates ships.

Founded in 1966, the shipyard used to be a state-owned firm under China State Shipbuilding Corporation.

Beijing-based Tsinghua Tongfang became the shipyard's owner after a reform in 2006.

The shipyard has three production lines and it produces 5,000 and 20,000 tonne ships.