XINHUA: Guangzhou - Road suddenly collapses，swallowing a car

Caption: A white car is submerged by water

I couldn't resist this one: my thoughts homed straight to the Sunday Times' grime/crime/death/serious-injury reporter, in all his token 'eyewitness quote' glory...but this story is so much better than anything Perth could serve up.

GUANGZHOU: ROAD SUDDENLY COLLAPSES, SWALLOWS CAR

Yesterday mid day, around 12 o'clock, in Guangzhou City, Whitecloud District, near Goldsand Island, a road cave-in occurred, perfectly swallowing a car that was driving on the road. Many eyewitnesses said the male driver of the car quickly jumped out as the car was being swallowed by accumulating water, before he was immediately taken away in an ambulance. Judging by eyesight, the pit was about 70-80 square metres in area. According to locals, the collapse may well be connected to a nearby construction site.

"During the mid day just after 12, i was in my house eating food when i suddenly heard a boom from outside," Sand Phoenix Village resident Mr Chen told this reporter. He thought it was thunder at first, and went outside and looked at the sky, but the it was completely clear. Later he noticed more and more people encircling the high-speed city ring road bridge behind his village, then he knew the incident had happened over there.

The car was there, then it wasn't

When this reporter arrived hurriedly at the scene, he only saw a huge pit in the road of area 70-80 square metres, wherein a lot of water had accumulated, so much that the bottom couldn't be seen. An onlooking villager told this reporter he was passing nearby when the incident happened: "Suddenly there was a bang, and the ground shook, and i only saw a bus emerge from the dust in front - the white car behind me wasn't there." A few seconds later a passer-by dashed over and discovered the road surface in front of him had subsided into a large pit, and the white car had just fallen right in. "It was lucky the driver was clear-headed - he quickly opened the car door and climbed out." This reporter understands the driver was a man in his 30s, and that he climbed out of the pit with the help of the crowd. As the police took statements and the ambulance arrived, the folks on the scene looked on helplessly as the bottom of the pit started filling up with murky water eventually leaving no trace of the car. "The driver received no serious injuries. One arm was bleeding, but nothing life-threatening. He looked shaken," an eyewitness said.


Caption: A white car fell into a giant pit.



Caption: The car that fell into the pit is pulled out by the lift-vehicle.


Original link: 广州：路面突然下陷 吞没过路轿车