Rescue work is still underway after a coal mine blast happened early Thursday evening in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

The death toll from a mine blast accident in northwest China has risen to 16 after rescuers found four more bodies on Friday morning.

The latest toll included two people who were reported missing on Thursday.

The accident happened early Thursday evening at the Yangchi mining section of the Dafeng mine in Shizuishan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, said Wei Liyang, director of Ningxia Work Safety Administration.

Forty-six people were injured, including 12 who are in serious condition.

They have been sent to hospitals for treatment.

Workers were using more than two tons of dynamite to blast away rock in the mine when the accident occurred.

The dead included six people working with the dynamite, five people passing the site in a vehicle and mine workers living in nearby sheds, according to Shenhua Ningxia Coal Mining Group Corp.

Rescue work was still underway to determine whether there were more casualties.

Police have held two people from Guangdong Hongda Blasting Co., Ltd., who were in charge of the blasting operation, for questioning and investigation.

The cause of the accident was being investigated.