Gaoqiao is a town located in a valley in Kai County, in the northeast of Chongqing municipality in Southwest China. Central Chongqing lies to the southwest.
On 23 December 2003 at 21:15, a gas well burst and released highly toxic hydrogen sulfide. According to China Daily, 233 people died and at least 9,000 were injured.
The well was called “Chinese: 罗家16H” and belonged to PetroChina's Southwest Oil and Gas Field Branch (Chinese: 西南油气田分公司). It was located in the Chuandongbei gas field in Gaoqiao's Xiaoyang village .[1]
In 2007, Chevron Corporation and China National Petroleum Corporation signed a contract to share production in Chuandongbei, with Chevron getting 49 percent of the venture, operating the project and supplying the technology.[2]