A group of workers relax after their exhaustive rescue efforts on Wednesday, August 8, 2007. The death toll from the colliery flood in south-west China's Guizhou Province has risen to 12, as of 6:00 p.m. Wednesday. [Photo: Xinhua]

The death toll from a colliery flood in southwest China's Guizhou Province rose to 12 when rescuers recovered four more bodies, sources with the local government said Wednesday.

The dead miners include the director and deputy manager of the mine, said Jiang Congyue, chief of Qianxi County.

The water poured into Longhua colliery in Qianxi County at 6:10 p.m. on Tuesday, when 20 miners were working. Six escaped and 14 were trapped.

Rescuers managed to pull two miners out alive.

Jiang said initial investigations show the flood was caused by recent rainfall which caused water to build up in a neighboring deserted coal mine. The water poured in and caught the miners off guard.

Longhua, a township-owned coal mine with an annual designed production capability of 60,000 tons, is undergoing technological upgrading to reach the goal of producing 300,000 tons of coal a year.