Gaoqiao, Kai County

Gaoqiao is a town located in a valley in Kai County, in the northeast of Chongqing municipality in Southwest China. Central Chongqing lies 340 km 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 “罗家16H” and belonged to PetroChina's Southwest Oil and Gas Field Branch (西南油气田分公司). It was located in the Chuandongbei gas field in Gaoqiao's Xiaoyang village.

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.