Four people have been confirmed dead, after a footpath in the Chinese city of Dazhou gave way, sending them plunging more than 10 metres below street level.
The sinkhole opened suddenly in a “busy commercial district in Dazhou city in Sichuan province” on Sunday afternoon, the South China Morning Post reports, leaving a gaping hole more than three metres in diameter.
Video footage of the incident shows four people falling into the sinkhole as the footpath collapses rapidly beneath their feet.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Two of the victims, who were married just days before the accident, were recovered alive from the sinkhole shortly after it opened up, but died later in hospital, according to CNN.
The bodies of two further victims, reported to be a father and son, were removed from the 10-metre pit 48 hours after the footpath collapsed, despite desperate attempts by local rescuers to find the pair.
A number of surrounding buildings have been evacuated, after officials feared that the sinkhole may widen in the coming days, Chinanews reports.
-
How drones have detected a deadly threat to Arctic whalesUnder the radar Monitoring the sea in the air
-
A running list of the US government figures Donald Trump has pardonedin depth Clearing the slate for his favorite elected officials
-
Ski town strikers fight rising cost of livingThe Explainer Telluride is the latest ski resort experiencing an instructor strike
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
