A giant sinkhole in China devoured two houses on Monday while bystanders watched in disbelief. The video of the buildings vanishing into the ground shows how the giant sinkhole swallowed up one of the two buildings in just seconds. China’s NTD Television reports on Jan. 29, 2013, that no one was injured.
The giant sinkhole claimed the two houses on Monday in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in the Guangdong province.
The giant sinkhole first devoured a three-story building. A few hours later, the building next to it also came crumbling down falling 30 feet into the ground. A total of 300 residents from both buildings and the surrounding area had been evacuated and nearby roads had been closed off.
According to China’s state-run media, the area where the two houses disappeared into the giant sinkhole was near a construction site of a new underground train station. In addition, the increased development of skyscrapers and poor water drainage has most likely contributed to the disappearance of the two buildings into the ground.
After the two buildings had turned into rubble in the giant sinkhole, the building collapse cut off power lines and water pipes from surrounding residents.
Sinkholes are actually not uncommon in China. Across China, more than 50 sinkholes have appeared. Some of those sinkholes can be found in Beijing and Shanghai.
While the giant sinkhole in China devoured two houses and left residents and city workers in disbelief, everyone is grateful that the earth did not devour any human lives.
