Dramatic photos and videos show the moment a massive sinkhole opened up on a street in China, swallowing a bus and killing 6 people
Twitter/The Paper;Getty
A massive sinkhole opened up on a busy road in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province in China, killing six people.
Footage from the scene shows a packed bus and several pedestrians being swallowed by the hole, which suddenly opened on a busy street in the city.
At least six are believed to be dead, four missing, and a further 16 injured and in hospital, according to the South China Morning Post.
According to the BBC, which cited Chinese state media, the sinkhole was around 10 meters wide.
Shocking photos and videos show the moment a huge sinkhole opened up in the middle of a busy road in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province in China, swallowing a bus full of passengers and nearby pedestrians, and killing six people.
The incident can be seen in the video below as posted by Chinese state media outlet, The Paper.
—The Paper 澎湃新闻 (@thepapercn) January 14, 2020
As passengers appear to be boarding the bus, a hole suddenly opens up in the road, swallowing the front of a bus and a signpost, as well as what appears to be several people stood on the sidewalk.
People scramble around the hole immediately after it opens up, but as it expands further more people fall into the ground, while others can be seen running away from the hole.
The incident happened at 5.30 p.m. local time on Monday as passengers prepared to board the bus outside Changcheng Hospital, killing least six people.
Four remain missing, according to the South China Morning Post.
STR/AFP via Getty Images
16 people were also injured in the incident but are said to be in a stable condition in hospital, according to the South China Morning Post.
The Paper reports that a boy present at the incident was trying to save passengers trapped in the sinkhole when he also fell into the hole and is now being treated for injuries at a local hospital.
A video from a different angle shows the bus sunk deep into the ground head first.
It is unclear how many people were on the bus at the time of the incident.
—W. B. Yeats (@WBYeats1865) January 13, 2020
According to the BBC, which cites Chinese state media, the sinkhole is around 10 meters wide.
Photos show the aftermath of the incident as rescuers lifted out the bus from the ground.
Similar incidents of sinkholes opening up on Chinese roads have happened in the past, and the country is thought to have a big problem with sinkholes—an issue put down to rapid development and poorly planned infrastructure.
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