Rescuers were working to reach 18 people trapped underground after a cave-in at a gold mine in northwest China's Xinjiang region, AFP reported citing state media. While the incident occurred, a total of 40 people were working at the mine in Yining county, which is about 100 kilometres from the border with Kazakhstan.
Following the incident, twenty-two miners were brought to the surface but 18 remain trapped.
Read more: Year ender 2022: Tumult that led to Britain's first Indian-origin prime minister
"A rescue operation is underway to retrieve the remaining miners," Xinhua news agency said.
In September last year, 19 miners were stranded underground after the collapse of a coal mine in China's northwest province of Qinghai. They were found dead after a long search. In December 2021, 20 miners were rescued from a flooded coal mine in China's northern Shanxi province while two others died in the incident.