The death toll has climbed to 11 following a pair of accidents at two neighboring gold mines in central China's Henan Province Friday, local authorities said Saturday.

Thick smoke engulfed a pit at the Qinling gold mine of China National Gold Group in Lingbao City at 10:36 a.m. Friday, trapping 12 workers and six management staff, the press office of the city committee of the Communist Party of China said in a statement.

Rescue workers retrieved seven bodies on Friday night. Of the 10 people taken to hospital, one failed to respond to treatment and the other nine are recovering.

One more body was retrieved Saturday afternoon. Mine authorities identified it as a patrolman who had been missing for nearly 30 hours.

A similar accident was reported in a neighboring gold mine at 3 p.m. Friday, the provincial work safety administration said Saturday.

Of the six workers trapped, four were rescued at 5:30 p.m. and the other two were found dead later in the evening.

The administration has launched an investigation.

source: Xinhua