18 miners buried after gold mine collapse in China
In the Xinjiang region in the north-west of the country, "a rescue operation is underway" to rescue the miners, the Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.
At the time of the collapse, a total of 40 people were working underground.
22 miners have already been brought to the surface, 18 are still trapped.
The mine is located in Yining County, about 100 kilometers from the Kazakhstan border.
In Chinese mines, safety regulations are often poorly implemented.
Despite significantly improved conditions in recent years, accidents keep happening.
A mine collapse in September last year killed 19 miners.
In December 2021, 20 miners were rescued from a flooded coal mine in northern Shanxi province, and two others died.