Eight people were killed in a coal mine accident in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday, according to the local emergency management authority.

At approximately 10 a.m. on Wednesday, eight workers were trapped during an air shaft sealing operation in the coal mine in the Wutongqiao District of the city of Leshan in Sichuan.

As of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, seven people were confirmed dead. By 7 p.m. one more person was confirmed dead, and search and rescue efforts for the accident had ended, said the emergency management bureau of Wutongqiao District.

The accident's cause is under investigation.