Emergency services are working to save the lives of 19 people stuck underground inside a coal mine in northwest China's Qinghai Province after one person died in a mining disaster.

The cause of the accident is a roof collapse incident confirmed by investigation teams and experts at the location.

The rescue mission has lasted over 48 hours by Monday. According to authorities, the rescue mission is now into the second stage as local weather finally shifts from pouring rain to the bright sky.

Heavy equipment to rescue trapped miners is on standby. The first part of construction to prevent and diverge flood water and mud from pouring into the tunnel was completed.

The rescue team is trying to find the right location to dig down from the surface and inject cement and water glass to solidify the top structure to get as near as possible to the trapped individuals.

"So far, the excavators are ready. The team of experts is trying to work on the details of the rescue plan. The plan will be executed once feedback is available, " Yao Jingdong, a member of the expert support team on-site, said at a press conference last night.

He added that after the top layer has been secured, they would then remove the mud and rescue the miners.

The mission was temporarily halted because of the floods occurring twice while the rescue operations were on.

The emergency happened around noon on Saturday at the Chaidaer coal mine located in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Region in Qinghai Province.

Twenty-one individuals were trapped, and two were brought to the surface on Saturday. One was confirmed dead by medics on-site, and the other is in good health condition.

The survivor told CGTN he witnessed his colleague being swallowed by mud flooding into the tunnel and the current speed was fast.

Officials said at the press briefing that 900 individuals, including firefighters, medical staff and police, are on-site to assist in the effort.

The safety operation permit of the production company, Xihai Coal Company, was confiscated on August 2, according to an investigation by local officials. The company explained that the workers went down to retract some of the equipment left in the tunnel.

More details about the accident are yet to be released and confirmed by officials.