A large section of a road in Shanghai, China, has become a sinkhole due to heavy rain. A CCTV video of the incident has gone viral, showing the busy road sinking and creating a huge void.
CCTV footage of the incident showed the road collapsing as the structures around the road and vehicles were also swallowed up. (RT World/X)The footage also shows structures and vehicles around the road being swallowed up. People passing by were seen fleeing in panic as large cracks appeared on the road.
The incident happened at the intersection of Qixin Road and Lian Road, where important underground work is underway for a new metro line, the Daily Mail reported.
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The report also said that no loss of life or injury was reported after the incident. Some containers, along with barricades, have fallen by the side of the road.
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Why the road cave?The city faces a constant risk of road collapse due to soft alluvium, excessive groundwater extraction, thin sand layers and voids created by urban construction.
In a similar incident last year, a section of a road collapsed in Thailand, creating a huge sinkhole and prompting the evacuation of nearby residents.
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Part of the road was under construction for a subway station, and a hole about 20 meters deep was created.
In 2024, a road in Minhang District reportedly collapsed after a sewer pipe about 10 meters underground broke.
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A large part of China is built on karst terrain, which is composed of soluble rocks such as limestone and dolomite. Groundwater eats away at soluble rocks that degrade road quality, the report said. Heavy rainfall can accelerate the process by cracking the rocks and widening them.
According to the US Geological Survey, a sinkhole is a depression in the ground that has no natural external surface drainage. It is very common in karst terrain.
Sinkholes are extremely dangerous because the soil can appear intact for long periods of time until the soluble rocks underground dissolve and the surface suddenly collapses.
