Sinkhole
A young man relaxing in the lounge of a five-storey house in northwestern China fell into a three-metre-deep sinkhole that suddenly appeared in the floor, mainland media reports.

The 1.82 metre tall man disappeared into the two-metre-wide hole while staying at his uncle's home in the city of Xian of Shaanxi province last Thursday, the news portal Cnwest.com reported.

He was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries to his waist after falling onto bricks that collapsed into the bottom of the hole.

The man's uncle said he believed the sinkhole had formed because of water leaking from a nearby pipeline.

He had spotted water leaking from the same pipe at the bottom of the hole, he said.

The pipe provided water to his neighbour's property, the man said.

An local official said he would investigate to see if the pipe serving the neighbour's property was the cause of the collapse.

Sinkholes forming in built up areas are becoming increasingly common on the mainland, with some people killed after falling inside. The accidents are caused mainly because of poor standards of construction.