A rescue team arrive at Diaoshuidong coal mine after 24 are trapped in the mine, Chongqing, China, Dec 4, 2020. (PHOTO/XINHUA)

Eighteen people have died after being trapped in a mine in China’s southwestern city of Chongqing, according to the local rescue team.

READ MORE: Coal mine accident kills 16 in southwest China

The dead were among 24 people trapped underground by excessive levels of carbon monoxide gas at the Diaoshuidong coal mine

The dead were among 24 people trapped underground by excessive levels of carbon monoxide gas at the Diaoshuidong coal mine. One survivor had been rescued while search efforts continue.

Friday’s incident occurred at about 5 pm in a mine shut for more than two months as the company asked workers to dismantle underground equipment without permission from the related department. The incident is being investigated.

Diaoshuidong, built in 1975 and run since 1998 as a private enterprise, is a high-gas mine with an annual capacity of 120,000 tons of coal, according to Xinhua News Agency.

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A rescuer gauges the density of carbon monoxide in the Diaoshuidong coal mine in Chongqing, Dec 4, 2020. (PHOTO/XINHUA)

Chongqing officials rushed to the scene after the accident to direct public security, emergency, fire and other departments at the municipal and district levels to carry out rescue work. 

An investigation on the cause of the accident is underway.

Tan Yingzi contributed to this report