LIUPANSHUI, Guizhou - The death toll has risen to 12 in a coal mine blast that occurred Friday in Southwest China's Guizhou province, rescuers said Wednesday.

As of 6 am, two more bodies had been retrieved, bringing the death toll to 12. Another miner remains missing, said a spokesman with the rescue headquarters.

Rescue work is continuing.

More than 1,000 cubic meters of coal has been cleared from shaft, as rescuers search for the trapped miners, said the spokesman.

The blast trapped 13 people underground Friday afternoon at the Jinjia Coal Mine in Panxian County, Liupanshui City.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

With annual production capacity of 1.8 million tonnes, Jinjia is a state-owned coal mine operated by the Guizhou Panjiang Clean Coal Co. Ltd.