One miner was confirmed dead and another nineteen trapped in a coal mine blast in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Thursday, according to local government.

The blast occurred around 3 PM Thursday in the small coal mine called Sulongsi at Xinzhen Town in the county of Fengjie, which is located in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, said an official with the county government.

"More than 100 people have taken part into the rescue work and 37 rescuers are examining the situation in the coal mine," said an official with the rescue headquarters.

"We can't get to know the cause of the explosion and the casualty underground until the rescuers come out," the official told Xinhua Thursday night, adding the gas intensity in the mine is very high.

(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2005)