KUNMING - Eleven people were trapped after a cave-in in a mine pit in Southwest China's Yunnan province Saturday, local authorities said.

The accident happened at around 1 pm at a stannum mine in Lianghe county of Dehong prefecture, the county government's emergency response office said in a press release.

It said the cave-in site was about 400 meters from the mining platform, and attributed the accident to continuous downpour in the county.

Nearly 500 rescuers are racing to save the miners.