Ten people have been confirmed to be smothered to death and another two injured in a workshop fire that occurred Thursday afternoon in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, local police said Friday.

The victims included eight workers and two children, the police said.

The fire took place around 4:00 PM Thursday at a private processing workshop, which was located in a residential building in the city's Guandu District.

The fire was extinguished at 5:15 PM, leaving 10 dead and two more injured. It is believed that all of the 10 were smothered to death.

The workshop processed foam plastic cushions for sofas, which can emit poisonous choking gas while catching fire.

The cause of the accident is being investigated.

(Xinhua News Agency August 11, 2006)