Kabul: The death toll after a collapse at a gold mine in Afghanistan has climbed to 35, a local official said.

A worker carries a 28-kilogram gold bar. Credit:Bloomberg

At least 12 others were injured in the accident on Sunday morning, provincial council member Abdullah Naji Nazari said. The number of victims could rise, he said.

About 50 workers were trapped by the accident in what Nazari described as a locally dug mine with no safety standards in Kohistan district.

The mine was next to a river, whose waters were apparently being used to help sift gravel to find the gold.