The agency cited local emergency management officials as saying that eight people have been confirmed dead, while 38 people are trapped underground.
Xinhua said President Xi Jinping urged “every possible effort” to treat the injured and called for a thorough investigation of the incident.
He “emphasized that all sectors and departments should learn lessons from this accident, remain constantly vigilant with respect to workplace safety… and resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of major and catastrophic accidents”.