HAIKOU - Two people have been confirmed dead after a bridge under renovation collapsed on Monday in South China's island province of Hainan, said local authorities.

The accident happened around 5:30 pm when two workers were checking the renovation progress of the Taiyanghe Bridge near Liji township in the city of Wanning, said a spokesman with the city's publicity department of the Communist Party of China.

One of the workers died en route to the hospital, while the other was found dead after being rescued from the rubble at 9:10 pm, said the spokesman.

The rescuers were still trying to confirm whether more workers were buried under the rubble, he said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.