Four people fell in and three were injured when yet another massive sinkhole opened in Shenzhen on Sunday (Aug. 4), this one was over 30 sq metres in size and 1-2 metres deep, Nandu Daily reports. Although fortunately there were no fatalities, there is something extra shocking about this particular sinkhole – locals saw it coming and police ignored their warnings.
The aftermath, image courtesy of Southern Metropolis Daily
It follows the two sinkholes in Shenzhen that made headlines around the world this year: the one in Futian District in March in which the ground disappeared beneath a security guard’s feet and the one in Longgang District in May in which five people were buried alive.
There have also been a number of smaller ones which led to no fatalities, such as the one in June which occurred in a greenbelt in Luohu District.
Sunday’s sinkhole, which opened in Longhua New Zone, saw one of the injured require 9 stitches in his arm.
Due to heavy rain in the previous days, locals sensed there was a chance the road would collapse, so told the police. However, the police dismissed their claims and, lo-and-behold, on Sunday morning the sinkhole opened up just outside 32 Longfa Road.
Two of the injured were staff from the nearby Meijia Suermarket and one of those to fall in was a 12 year-old boy, but he sustained no injuries.
Local officials, such as Longhua Party Secretary Jiang Jianjun, demanded an investigation. However, nobody suggested this would not happen again.