Twenty-two workers have been confined inside a tunnel that exploded in a gold mine in China on Sunday. According to the Global Times, they were trapped in a tunnel in Sicheng, Shandong Province.

A rescue team has been sent to the spot to rescue the workers. However, the authorities have not been able to contact the trapped workers so far.

The blast also damaged the communication signal inside the tunnel, which has made it impossible to contact the workers trapped inside.

Before this, in December, a similar explosion ripped through a mine in the Chinese city of Chongqing, killing at least 18 workers. 

Also in Chongqing, last September, 16 people trapped in a coal mine in Chongqing died due to excessive carbon monoxide poisoning.