Massive sinkhole swallows eight-lane road in a China, at least eight dead
A sinkhole measuring about 30 metres (100 feet) wide and six metres (19 feet) deep appeared in Foshan, China, yesterday
Eight people have died and three remain missing in southern China after a massive sinkhole yesterday swallowed a major road in the middle of a city.

The eight-lane road caved in after a water leak occurred on the construction site of a subway station in Foshan, a city of seven million people, authorities said Thursday.

Nine people were rescued from the sinkhole, which is said to be as big as two basketball courts. The condition of the survivors are reportedly stable.


China feb sinkhole 2018
© Image China/REX/ShutterstockThe sinkhole is the size of two basketball courts and swallowed the two-way thoroughfare in the city's Changcheng district
china sinkhole feb 2018
The accident was caused by a water leak on the construction site of a subway station in the city of seven million residents
The accident took place near the No.1 Ring Road Bridge on Jihua Xi Road above the construction site of Foshan's Subway Line 2, according to China Central Television Station.

The report said the collapsed area was as large as two basketball courts with a depth of five to six metres (16 to 19 feet). The report also showed an aerial video of the affected site.

Pictures of the scene showed a huge swathe of mud and broken concrete in the middle of the two-way thoroughfare in the city's Changcheng district.

china sinkhole feb 2018
At least eight people were killed after the major eight-lane road suddenly collasped at around 8:40pm local time yesterday
The sudden leak flooded the underground site and caused a 30-metre-long (100-foot-long) stretch of the road to collapse at around 8:40pm local time, the city government said in a statement today on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter.

The statement said an initial leak was detected by the construction workers at around 7pm, but the workers failed to control the situation.

It was unclear whether the dead and missing were all construction workers.

Rescue works is underway for the three missing. The authorities are investigating the details of the accident.

China sinkhole Feb 2018
© Image China/REX/ShutterstockA huge swathe of mud and broken concrete can be seen on the affected site after the major accident in Guangdong Province
Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced, which has angered citizens.

Official figures show 38,000 people were killed in workplace accidents in 2017.

Last May, 12 workers died following an explosion in a high-speed rail tunnel construction site in the southwest province of Guizhou.
China sinkhole feb 2018
© AFPRescue work is underway for three people missing after the road collapsed above a construction site of Subway Line 2
China Sinkhole feb 2018
© Image China/REX/ShutterstockThe water leak was first detected at around 7pm, but construction workers failed to stop the water coming through
China Sinkhole feb 2018
© Image China/REX/ShutterstockA huge crack is seen on Jihua Xi Road after a 30-metre-long (100-foot-long) stretch caved in near the No.1 Ring Road Bridge
China Sinkhole feb 2018
© AFPThe city government said a specialised team had been dispatched to closely monitor the road after it collapsed yesterday
China sinkhole feb 2018
© VCGNine people were rescued from the underground construction site and hospitalised. Their condition is reportedly stable