22 miners are stuck below ground after a blast at a Chinese gold mine. (Xinhua/Shutterstock)

Rescuers were attempting to reach 18 individuals who were submerged after a gold mine in northwest China's Xinjiang region caved in, as per official media.

At the time of the collapse on Saturday afternoon, 40 workers were employed underground at the mine in Yining county, which is just 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the border with Kazakhstan.

22 miners were transported to the surface, but 18 are still underneath.

"A rescue operation is underway to retrieve the remaining miners," Xinhua news agency reported.

Both mine safety and media coverage of significant accidents, many of which were previously ignored, have improved recently. However, accidents continue to happen often in a sector where safety guidelines are frequently inadequate, particularly at the most basic installations.

19 miners who were trapped underground after a coal mine in the northwest province of Qinghai collapsed in September of last year were discovered dead after a protracted search.

However, in December 2021, 20 miners in Shanxi Province's northern coal mine were saved but two others perished.