GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Three Killed, Ten Missing in Indonesia Landslide! UPDATE: Death Toll Rises to Fourteen!

Three people were killed and 10 missing on Tuesday after they were buried in a landslide caused by heavy rain in eastern Indonesia, a rescue official said.

File photo shows rescuers searching for landslide victims in Ciwidey district, West Java, Indonesia, Feb. 24, 2010.
Heavy rain prompted the landslide, killing more than a dozen people and destroying scores of homes.

“Heavy rains in Ambon city, Maluku province, triggered a landslide early this morning,” Ambon city search-and-rescue chief Brory Tjokro told AFP. “Three people were killed and two were rescued safely. Ten people are still missing and rescuers are still looking for them.” Two houses were destroyed, Tjokro said. - Inquirer News.

UPDATE: Death toll rises to fourteen!

Workers searched mud filled homes for survivors and bodies on Wednesday, after a landslide caused by torrential rain hit a residential area in Ambon, Indonesia. It is reported that the landslide was triggered by two days of continuous rain. Soldiers, with the help of local residents found two more bodies, bringing the number of people killed to 14. Officials believe one more resident is still buried under the thick mud. Two survivors were pulled out alive during the search and rescue operation on Wednesday, adding to the four found alive on Tuesday. Tropical rainfall, deforestation and little vegetation to hold the soil means that landslides are frequent in Indonesia. - IBT.

WATCH: Death toll rises in Indonesia.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Massive Landslide Renders 150 Homeless in Anambra, Nigeria - Fifteen Buildings Cave in at the Oko Community!

A landslide which occurred in the Oko Community of Anambra has rendered more than 150 people homeless, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Nwabufo Ijezie, disclosed on Friday. 

He said that 15 buildings belonging to the affected people caved in as a result of the disaster, displacing and rendering them homeless. No life was lost in the disaster.  Ijezie, who described the magnitude of the landslide in the area as very high, said the state government, in conjunction with the Federal Government, would intervene to curtail its destructive effects.  The executive secretary explained that the state governor, Peter Obi, and some state and National Assembly lawmakers had visited the area to assess the extent of damage caused by the landslide. 

Ijezie said that the visit would afford the legislators the opportunity to know the plight of the people and come up with legislation to address their helpless condition.  He added that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had been informed about the tragedy and efforts were being intensified to resettle the victims by building modest houses for them.  Building materials such as roofing sheets, planks, roofing nails, bedsheets and food items have already been purchased for distribution to the displaced people.  Ijezie announced that the landslide also affected Obosi, Nanka, Ozobulu and other communities of the state.  He expressed appreciation to those who assisted the state during disasters. - Daily Times.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Massive Landslide Closes Highway in Costa Rica - 6.400 Cubic Metres of Mud Covered 25 Feet of Roadway!

Ruta 32, the route that connects San José with Guapiles and Limón, is once again closed due to a landslide occurring at kilometre 30 in the area of the Zurquí, some 10 km east of the tunnel. The road is expected to remain closed for most of the day today Thursday, as work crews clean up the debris strewn across the road.  The Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (CONAVI) says it is in the process of removing some 6.400 cubic metres of mud and other materials that covers some 8 metres (25 feet) of roadway.  The CONAVI says that the road will be re-open today if the weather conditions allow the work to continue and no new landslides occur. - Inside Costa Rica.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Land Subsidence Continues in China - Ground Collapse in Chongqing Stuns Villagers, and Massive Sinkhole in Wenzhou Swallows Car!

Wenzhou Reuters yesterday morning, the bridge in the town, village, Yongjia County, Wenzhou City, a river bank, a car traveling in suddenly confronted with a road collapse, fall into the pit of about three meters deep, the driver with multiple injuries.

According to local villagers, the incident of road outside of the river had been excavation, coupled with the long-term erosion of the river, the road below the sediment loss and appeared empty, leading to the accident.  7 o'clock yesterday morning, the little gold of the bridge in the town, Yongjia County, the village young men drove to work, leave the house only a few meters to the when Jinxi road, the road suddenly collapsed, the car instantly fell into a large pit, the Xiaojin family and local villagers immediately came to the rescue. Can not open the door was stuck, Xiao Jin, vice cab windows to climb out of the car, all work together to be rescued from the pit.  Reporters on the scene saw the incident occurred at the the mushroom River Golden Village, the west side of River, the collapse of the pit about three meters the deepest, 2 meters wide, 5 meters long, a white Volkswagen car bogged down in Tai Hang, Body multiple injury. Tai Hang above the cement pavement, crumbling, the thinnest at less than 5 cm. Collapse down the "rustling" sound issued from time to time in the Tai Hang gravel.  Preliminary inspection of the hospital, the little gold forehead, right leg, etc., skin abrasions, and whether there are injuries or fractures, remains to be further examination. Recall the breathtaking scene, he is still a lingering fear. He said: "I thought the earthquake, scared to close your eyes and opened his eyes and found himself in a massive big pit."  After the incident, the local authorities immediately deployed a number of vehicles, excavators excavation near the river, changing the flow direction, to prevent recurrence of the danger. - SINA [Translated].

Villagers found a big hole in the reservoir upstream of Lingyun in Geleshan town, Chongqing. The hole is about 20 meters long, 10 meters wide, funnel-shaped deep. Yesterday, reporter learned from the town government, they have sent people all day on duty, timely monitoring. The villagers, Geleshan ground settlement on land after another, nearly two years. These holes in the end is how the formation of?

Yesterday, Clarion Village, Geleshan town community villagers on the angle of the bridge to the Daily, said the village collapsed. Reporters rushed to the right angle bridge community Lingyun reservoir near the enthusiastic local villagers under the leadership of, and take about 10 minutes mountain, found the site of the incident.  Villagers told reporters that the occurrence of land subsidence locations previously reservoirs, and the entire reservoir only downstream of a small lake, and the rest have dried up, while the hole is located in the Lingyun Reservoir upstream. The reporter saw the hole were two irregular round shape, the overall length of 20 meters at its widest point about 10 meters, the hole was a funnel-shaped, wider at the top, no bottom. At this time the villagers got bamboo poles, or throw stones down, are impossible to measure its depth. Upstream of the reservoir, there have been a stream flowing into the big hole around cordoned off and warning signs, warning villagers not to come near... Yesterday, Shapingba District Land and Resource Management Branch, geological environmental monitoring stations Yu, Geleshan belongs to the karst topography, the internal structure of complex and changeable, the underground there are many caves, underground rivers, to sew. While land subsidence factors, days of heavy rain may induce one of the reasons. Villagers reflect geological experts to the scene to view, and the terrain to monitor, restrict access to corresponding measures according to the development of the mountain.  Yu also said that they have been trapped surrounding villagers door-payment of disaster prevention in hedge understand card, to inform everyone once the continued abnormal, what direction they should evacuate. Yesterday, town government Geleshan said, all-day monitoring of ground subsidence cases, if the situation does not rule out the emergency evacuation of the villagers. Meanwhile, the town government has organized town, village emergency rescue team to carry out emergency rescue drill... Chongqing 136 geological survey team of geological experts said that Geleshan strata belonging to the beam mountains, limestone karst fissures, its easy to form collapse. The collapse may be three reasons: (1) to trap the hole below, may have been a cave, due to the movement of the earth itself, or cause cave erosion, will appear to collapse. (2) The original water in the cave under the two land subsidence, water loss due to external forces destroyed the groundwater runoff channels, the ground on the formation of pressure difference. This time, if the increase of the endurance on the ground will collapse. (3) The Liangshan a pulse and there were many references to mineral resources, if the landfill is not true, over time are also possible collapse. However, the specific reasons for the need for drilling, exploration, geophysical, geological experts and personnel in order to obtain the final result after investigation and consultation. - CQ News.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Land Subsidence Continues in China - Sinkholes in Nanning Force Relocation of 355 Students; Pits Collapsed With Thunderous Sounds!

A total of 355 students at a village in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, have been evacuated after sinkholes opened up, local authorities said Friday.

The biggest collapse pit Hang Hau area of about 300 square meters, the naked eye can not see the bottom of the pit. Reporter Tang Huiji photo

The affected students from Tanluo No.2 Middle School were relocated to other schools or taken back home after five fissures were found at Tanluo village, Xixiangtang district, Thursday night and Friday morning, including a 300-square-meter sinkhole, an official with the district government said. Land subsidence also affected four villages in Xixiangtang district on June 1 with 844 people evacuated. The subsidence caused one building to collapse and damaged six others. - China News Center.

At 1:30 on the 8th, reporters rushed to the town of Tanluo Tanluo village, collapsed near the dark, nearby residents have been evacuated. New collapse pit 3, the first one in Tanluo town (hereinafter referred to as "in Tanluo II") in front of the Hang Hau area of ​​about three square meters, about 0.5 meters deep. By the collapse affect the pit of the school walls also appeared in the cracks of about 2 m. On-site monitoring personnel according to their most recent two or three hours of observation, the pit depth continues to increase. The collapse pit distance Tanluo, two in front of the original collapse of the pit is only 23 meters, old collapse pit backfilling is completed just in the afternoon of the 6th. Addition, two new collapse pit in the paddy fields Tanluo two diagonally opposite, about 300 meters from the school gates.

First discovered in the village cadres, the collapse pit 9:30 the evening of 7 Xu, his inspections to the sound of water to rice paddies, paddy fields to hear constant reports "crashed". Village cadres raised his flashlight according to the paddy fields, the scene before he was surprised by a large seedlings disappeared, and two dark hole appear in the the middle of the paddy fields. Who heard Tanluo town party secretary Ma significantly ball barefoot into the field, walked a few meters from the pit only position when he suddenly heard the pit came a burst of thunder sound. He thought that the new collapse, and quickly turned out of the paddy fields. As the lights dim, he failed to see the pit size and pit. At 2:00 on the 8th, the reporter stood about 100 meters from the collapse pit 005 County Road, you can clearly hear the pit came the sound of water. From time to time there is a similar thunderous sound came out, chilling.  - SOHU [Translated].

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Land Subsidence Continues in China - Explosion Dislodges Massive Boulders in Chongqing; Flattening Cars Below as Hundreds Evacuate Area!

It looks like the scene from a deadly earthquake. But miraculously no one was killed, after two rocks weighing a combined 300 tons rolled down a cliff and flattened two parked cars in Chongqing, southwest China.  The rocks smashed a seven-foot wide and three-feet deep pit in the road, and created a huge crack in the paving.  Despite hitting a number of cars, no one was killed, although there were several lucky escapes. One of the vehicles - a delivery truck with 2,500 boxes of beer on it - was hit while moving.  The smaller of the two rocks fell further down the mountain, but the larger boulder- weighing 200 tons - remained on the road, crushing two cars.

Safety measures: the falling rocks have led to hundreds of people being evacuated from the mountain area.

One of the lucky drivers, named Sun, was driving behind the truck and was about to overtake it before he saw a car coming the other way that potentially saved his life.  'The beer lorry was only four metres ahead of me, when two rocks, a big one and a small one, rolled down fast one after another,' said Sun.  'The first smaller rock missed the lorry. After smashing a parked car on the roadside, it continued to roll down the valley.  'Then a bigger rock rolled down, and hit onto the rear part of the beer lorry. With two explosions, the beers exploded and broken glass shot out in all directions. And the beer bubbles covered my windscreen, which was quickly smashed by shooting beer bottle glass.'  Sun got out of his vehicle to see two parked cars flattened by the boulder, just a few feet away from him. 

Experts believe the rocks fell from a point 200 metres higher up in the mountains, and that they could only be removed with explosions.  The local government has had to evacuate residents living 1,000 metres below the road for fear of more rocks falling..  The beer lorry driver, Li, felt his vehicle grind to a halt when the back end was crushed by the boulder. 'I didn't hear anything until I heard a loud explosion and my vehicle stopped going forward,' he said.  Li did not let the shock affect his work however: He was still picking up unbroken beers from the ground and waiting for repairmen to fix the vehicle at the end of the day.  One driver, with five people in his car had overtaken the beer truck as he was driving quickly to make time. They passed the point on the road just before the rocks fell.  'Scrap glass was shooting into our car like bullets, and our rear window was all smashed. The glass also shot into the car, and cut two of us. The left front tyre was also shot flat,' said Xu, the driver.  'We quickly ran out of the car for our lives.'  A pedicab driver also escaped death. He was almost hit by the 2nd falling giant rock but immediately changed direction and tipped over on the road. He had slight injuries and went to the hospital alone. - Daily Mail.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Land Subsidence Continues in China - Huge Sinkhole Swallows Minibus in Guangxi Zhuang!

A sinkhole engulfed a minibus Thursday morning in Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, injuring the vehicle's driver.

Sinkhole engulfs minibus in Southern China, driver injured. Image: © CFP/Dong Hua.

Image: © CFP/Dong Hua.

The incident was a geological disaster that happened around 4 a.m. on Fuxing Road in the city's Qixing district. It left a big hole which is 4 meters long, 2.5 meters wide and 2 meters deep. The driver, the only person in the minibus, was being treated in hospital. - People's Daily Online.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Massive Landslide in Belud, Malaysia - 3,000 People Isolated; Authorities Have to Build New Alternative Roads!

Public Works Department (PWD) is in an effort to build an alternative road in the village of Kiau to replace the main road into the village which has collapsed in a landslide in the village two weeks ago.  Member of Parliament of August, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said before to improve the main road has collapsed in the village, the PWD is currently in an effort to build an alternative road to facilitate Kiau villagers.

Abdul Rahman, Musbah and Herbert observe the landslide in the village with villagers Kiau.

He said with the completion of the alternative roads in the immediate future at least people in the village to carry out their daily activities as usual.  "At this point there are two alternative road being built, one at a considerable distance slightly less than eight kilometers jalanrayta can only be traveled by four-wheel drive and the other alternative as far as four kilometers of road being constructed by PWD, with no alternative roads can facilitate the transmission of food supplies and travel a population of 3,000 people can be resolved. "  "While the problem of electricity supply cut off due to landslides is the SESB this point in efforts to find a solution, if necessary, a 'gene set' we will discuss with SESB to solve the electricity problem in this area." 

He said this when delivering aid and review the landslide in the village of Kiau, recently.  Participate in the survey among Kadamaian Assemblyman, Datuk Herbert Timbun Lagadan, Tempasuk Assemblyman, Datuk Musbah Jamli, Umno division deputy chief of August, Awadnir Matanggal.  Abdul Rahman, who is also Sabah BN Secretary also informed the office of Member of Parliament Service Centre of August, Kadamaian Assembly office, the office of Assemblyman Tempasuk and Belud District Office has provided food assistance needed by the villagers.  He said currently the JKKK in the village has provided a gathering center for the convenience of residents in the village.  "In addition to the elected representatives may supply the daily food requirement of 600 boxes candles also have been supplied from the office of Member Service Centre Belud temporary residents for electricity can be restored by the SESB." He added. - Sabahkini [Translated].

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Land Subsidence Continues in China - Xixiangtang Sinkhole Forces 844 People to Evacuate!

A sinkhole in Southern China has caused 844 people to evacuate their homes, which have been deemed unsafe. 

The Huffington Post reports that the sinkhole, which is about 1.5 meters (5 feet) deep and 2.5 meters (8 feet) wide, has already caused one building to collapse, It has also caused six buildings to tilt and one to crack, although no injuries have been reported.  The Xinhua News Agency, the official news, reported that the sinkhole occurred on Saturday near a middle school in Nanning city's Xixiangtang district after the school dug a well in hopes of easing a water shortage in the area.  According to The Washington Post, more than 800 villagers had to be evacuate in China's Guangxi province. Sinkholes have been fairly commong in china in recent years, which is known for its karst topography.

The sinkholes and land cracks have been common because of intense construction and mining activities in the past years, along with insufficient geological regulation.  The last documented sinkhole in China opened in the middle of a street in April of this year, and a girl, who was walking along the street while talking on her phone, walked into it. Gawker reports that the girl fell into a sinkhole which was about 6 meters deep in China's Xi'an city.  A cab driver who was passing by and saw the collapse helped rescue here, climbing down the hold using a loose cable, which was hanging beneath the walkway. Firefighters showed up, bringing a ladder with them, and helped her out.  According to Gawker, cabbie Wang Wei recalled: "The ladder kept moving about, it's a little flimsy and the girl kept screaming out of fear. So I told her to go first and I'll be right behind her. Finally we managed to get out." - Inquisitr.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Chile Mudslide Leaves 3,000 People Stranded - Bad Weather Kills 2 With Over 3,500 Property Damage!

Some 3,000 people living in the towns of Palena and Futaleufu, in the southern Chilean region of Los Lagos, on Wendesday remained isolated because of a mudslide that buried the road leading to the area, authorities said. 

The mudslide, about 120 meters (390 feet) long and 20 meters (65 feet) deep, occurred late Tuesday during a storm that affected the area, in the vicinity of Villa Santa Lucia, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) south of Santiago.  That is what Andres Ibaceta, the regional head of the National Emergency Management Office, or Onemi, told local media, adding that although the road link for the affected communities with the rest of Chile had been interrupted, the border pass to Argentina is open. 

"You can't get to Palena from the Chilean side, although it is possible from the Argentine side," said Ibaceta, while the Highway Department said that the effort to clear the road could take between two and three days.  Ibaceta emphasized that the weather conditions had improved in recent hours, something that he said will enable work crews to accelerate the clearing of mud, rocks and other debris from the road.  The storm also resulted in power outages and the loss of telephone communications, a situation that authorities said they had resolved over the past few hours.  The front of bad weather that affected several regions of Chile over the past few days left two people dead and 3,542 with some sort of property damage, according to figures compiled by Onemi. - LA Herald Tribune.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Land Subsidence Continues in China - 3 Dead, 1 Missing in Chongqing Rain-Triggered Landslide!

Three people have died and one remains missing since torrential rain began to hit southwest China's Chongqing municipality on Monday, local authorities said Wednesday.

The victims included one farmer who was killed in a house collapse and two construction workers who died in a rain-triggered landslide, according to a statement from the municipal flood control and drought relief headquarters.

A total of 37,100 local people were affected in 19 towns among five counties and districts in the municipality. Direct economic loss is estimated at 11 million yuan (1.74 million U.S. dollars), the statement said.

Chongqing is expected to encounter another round of thunderstorms on Thursday. - CRI.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Eight Killed in Indonesia Landslide!

A landslide in Indonesia killed eight people, according to an official, after days of heavy rain hit a mountainous part of the country's main island.

File photo shows rescuers searching for landslide victims in Ciwidey district, West Java, Indonesia, Feb. 24, 2010.
Heavy rain prompted the landslide, killing more than a dozen people and destroying scores of homes.

"The landslide occurred on Thursday night and killed eight people. We were able to retrieve all eight bodies by late Friday night," Bogor Disaster Mitigation Agency official Makmur Rozak told AFP.

He said 16 people were illegally mining for gold in western Java in the mountains of Bogor district, south of the capital Jakarta, when the landslide struck "after days of heavy rain".

"We rescued the other eight, so everyone is accounted for," Rozak said. Landslides are common in Indonesia, particularly in heavily deforested mountainous areas. - Bangkok Post.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Massive Sinkhole Forms Near Central City, Colorado!

A massive crater alongside the road in between the cities of Black Hawk and Central City has traffic moving along a bit slower than usual after crews had to close a lane. 

The sinkhole near Central City.

The sinkhole happened at the end of Gregory Street just east of Central City. The asphalt on the side of the road gave way to a small cavern early Saturday morning. By midday the cavern had turned into a crater.  Officials said an old mine shaft caved in. There's some speculation that recent, heavy rains and heavy Memorial Day weekend traffic may have been a contributing factor.

The shaft is about 30 feet wide by 50 feet deep. Crews will fill it in with large rocks and then add filler to the rock for stabilization.  Experts say such collapses aren't uncommon in Gilpin County.  "It's known for being one of the richest square miles on Earth, maybe in the United States. I mean this place was hopping back in the early 1900s," Deb Zack with the Division of Reclamation, Mining, & Safety said.  Crews don't believe that the shaft continues under the road but they'll be keeping a close eye on the spot.  Traffic will be down to one lane in the small section in between the two towns until crews can get the hole filled in and stabilized. - CBS Denver.

WATCH: Massive sinkhole in Central City.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Three Massive Sinkholes Open up in Prince William County, Virginia!

The Virginia Department of Transportation is working to repair a massive sinkhole in Prince William County. The hole opened up in the middle of Aden Road early Tuesday morning. VDOT says this was one of three sinkholes to open up within the last 24 hours in Prince William County. VDOT believes heavy rain and flooding may be to blame. - WTVR.

WATCH: Giant sinkhole opens up in Prince William County.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Huge Four-Metre Deep Sinkhole Opens Up In Montreal, Canada!

A four-metre square sinkhole opened up in a major downtown Montreal street just hours after a massive student protest had marched over it. 

The protest, which attracted tens of thousands of people, had already passed and gone down another street when the four-metre-deep sinkhole opened up late Tuesday afternoon.  Denis Roy, an operations chief with the Montreal fire department, said there were no injuries to any passersby.  Public works officials are attempting to determine the cause of the collapse.  The sinkhole is located not far from McGill University on Sherbrooke Street, one of Montreal's key east-west arteries.  The collapse, which happened around rush hour, added to the headaches of drivers already dealing with detours because of the huge student protest over tuition fee hikes and a special law to limit demonstrations. - CBC.

In March of this year, a sinkhole large enough to drive a car into opened up on a major Saskatchewan road causing traffic chaos.

The three-metre wide chunk of road opened up on Idylwyld Drive north of 39th Street just before 9 a.m. Monday forcing thousands of motorists to take several detours. It was caused by a break in a 20-centimetre pipe under the road causing water to swirl beneath the asphalt and led to the sinkhole.  "They are totally unpredictable," said public works manager Pat Hyde to the Saskatoon Star Phoenix. "This could have been happening for days or weeks."  The city received no reports of vehicles falling into the hole, but one commenter on Yahoo! Canada News joked, "I lost my car in there. It's on top of the Jeep, and under the BMW."  Holes are created because freezing and thawing cycles put pressure along underground pipes causing them to become weak and break. Snow melts forcing moisture into the cracks of roads and when it freezes it expands and makes the small cracks into bigger holes. The warmer winter across much of Canada is resulting in potholes being spotted earlier than normal.

Saskatoon isn't the place in Canada to have a huge sinkhole. In November, a 30-metre long one opened up in the Toronto area on Bayview Ave. north of Steeles Ave. closing the street for a week. In September, a 10-metre long hole opened up near Woodbine and Steeles avenues also in the Toronto area closing part of the road for some time. And in Vancouver, a sinkhole swallowed a 14-metre long chuck of SE Marine Drive. "The road just let go," said Murray Wightman, manager of street operation for Vancouver to CBC. The two Toronto sinkholes were caused by water main breaks and the Vancouver one is believed to be a result of the same thing.  But on a worldwide scale, these Canadian sinkholes are relatively small. In 2010, a 60-metre deep crater opened up in Guatemala City after it was hit by a tropical storm that dumped a metre of rain and caused mudslides. The sinkhole gobbled several buildings and nearly an entire intersection. According to CNN, there were no reports of death related to the sinkhole, but the tropical storm claimed more than 175 lives. As for the Saskatoon sinkhole, city crews plan to have the hole temporarily repaired by Tuesday, but a permanent fix will not happen until the city receives its first shipment of asphalt for the year. Hyde said this will happen within the month. He told the Star Phoenix, "We'll just backfill and compact it, gravel the top of it and once we have asphalt we'll come back and make a permanent fix." - Yahoo.

MONUMENTAL GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Danger Zone - Astoundingly Massive Landslide in the Swiss Alps Disappears 300,000 Cubic Meters of a Mountainside!

A landslide in the Swiss Alps caused 300,000 cubic meters of rock to slide down a mountainside, reports CNN.

The collapse happened in intervals over the course of several hours.  Astounding footage of the landslide, which was provided by Swiss Broadcasting, shows rocks cascading down the hillside into the valley below.  The incident took place Monday near Preonzo in southern Switzerland.

So far, no casualties have been reported, according to EuroNews.  While geologists say the cliff remains stable since Monday's incident, the area has been classified as a danger zone, with 500,000 cubic meters of debris that could still come down, World Radio Switzerland reports. - Huffington Post.

WATCH: Massive landslide in the Swiss Alps.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Mysterious Sinkhole Appears in Newcastle Street, England - Huge 10 Feet Deep Crater Took Out 8 Feet of Wall?!

A huge hole in the road has appeared just yards from people’s homes in Newburn, near Newcastle.  The 10ft deep crater appeared suddenly on the afternoon of Thursday, May 17, taking an 8ft section of brick wall with it. 

Police closed off the road for a while as experts from Newcastle City Council and Northumbria Water were called in to find the cause. Workmen were later called in to fill in the hole.  A police spokesman said: "There are a lot of mine workings around here. Possibly it is a coal working. We are still trying to work out what's happened. "  Lynsey McMeekin, 28, of Spencer Court, whose flat looks onto the hole, said: "It is just crazy.  "When I saw all the police cordons I thought there must have been an accident. "  

The crater expanded from Millfield Lane into land belonging to Just Brickwork Ltd after a dividing wall dramatically collapsed into the hole. Newburn Dene and a water culvert run underneath Millfield Lane and the Spencer Court flats, which were built in 2006.  The lane is one of the main access routes to the nearby Newburn Manor Primary School and is regularly used by parents dropping off their children at school.  Robert Lowes, 41, who lives on the nearby Manor Grove estate said the area had been blighted by sink holes for years. Just a few months ago a post box collapsed into a hole that appeared overnight.  He said: "There is subsidence all around here. "We have had other big dips in the tarmac all over the place.  "I know someone who has had a huge crack in their house."  Newcastle City Council engineers are investigating but do not currently know what caused the hole. - Sky Tyne and Wear.

WATCH: Mysterious sinkhole in Newcastle.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Land Subsidence Continues in China - Two Factories and a Residential Building Collapse, Results in Mass Evacuations in Guangxi Liuzhou!

On May 10th, two factories and a residential building in the Guangxi Liuzhou village in China, collapsed due to a geological subsidence, resulting in the evacuation of over 2,000 people.

At 11:15 on May 10 about Liuzhou, Guangxi District, cap together on Liunan wood according to Tuen large area of ​​subsidence, The number of plant and houses to collapse, the emergency evacuation of the village 2,000 Yu Jumin, fortunately evacuated in a timely manner not currently found in casualties. Villagers speculation that the collapse may be related to local real estate development, the specific reasons still under investigation.  Network News Network reporter from the local authorities that the first cracks in the village west, to build houses in a factory. At that time, this factory is located Murao overall collapse of the factory internal collapse nearly a meter deep. Were caught, the compound next to a resident room also will be an instant collapse about an approximately 10 square pit.

Subsequently, the collapse began around expansion, wherever he went, the houses are different degrees of cracks.  After the accident, fire protection, public security departments and other villagers immediately evacuated. Consider in the village do not have the security conditions at any time are likely to appear again to collapse, fire officers and men to face a village stay emergency evacuation, the face of the collapse site search, looking for possible buried pressure masses. As the afternoon 13:50 Xu, did not find many times search the entire village, trapped.  As of press time, the cracks still appear, a village of about 3,000 square meters of road sections and houses with varying degrees of collapse and crack. The villagers said that this village a large area of ​​collapse is estimated and the local real estate development related. Related causes as well as specific losses are still under investigation. - BIG5 [Translated].

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Devastating Land Subsidence in the Quang Ninh Province, in Vietnam - 3 Homes Completely Destroyed, Nearly 30 Households Evacuated!

Nearly 30 households in northern Quang Ninh Province's Cam Pha City have been evacuated after land subsided in the residential area of Nam Son 2.

Three houses collapsed completely and many others were at risk, but no one was reported dead or injured in the incident.

A hole around 1.5m deep and 3-5m wide first appeared near the homes of workers from the Da Mai Southwestern Coal Joint Stock Company, before expanding to more than 4m deep and 10m wide on Tuesday.

The provincial Natural Resources and Environment Department deputy director Dang Dinh Lop said his department would work with the Viet Nam National Coal – Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited to find the cause. - Vietnam News.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Massive Land Subsidence Along the Nakhon Si Housing Settlement in Thailand!

The following translated reports, describe a massive land subsidence along the road to the Nakhon Si housing settlement in Thailand.

Synchronization for accelerators, check the "land subsidence" is expected from the continuous rain. The basement area is a sandy loam. At some point, a soil gravel sand. The one element that makes the settlement ... Due to the concrete within a housing of Fine Lakes Road Depot Mon Tue York City fell a long way since the middle of the night and deeper than 1 m past the last on 13 May it was reported that Mr. W. 's family in New York City Deputy Mayor Prince. Care, engineering and planning of the municipality. With planning and building control officers. And engineering staff of the municipality. Has been examining the scene in detail. Found that the settlement was very worried. In particular, commercial buildings and townhouses. May damage the settlement if more than this. W., Mr. Wong said that the initial officer on the city's inspection. Expected to cause land subsidence, the amount of rain falling steadily. The rainfall in this rainfall is absorbed into the ground. Basement area is sandy loam. At some point, a soil gravel sand. The settlement is one element that makes this side of the village adjacent to the canal city. The canal water during heavy rains to the Gulf of Thailand. And the canal has had problems with soil erosion. The village is adjacent to the canal may be one factor that causes soil subsidence. However, the city's geological experts to co-exist now. What to check for obvious reasons. However, due to public holidays are not kept in touch. This will speed up the work as soon as possible. We have a staff of the Municipal Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. - Thairath.

People panic. The collapse of the middle of the night. Intermediate housing and roads. Center of the world. Check the collapse fell deeper than 1-2 meters long and 100 meters of their home to break the dreaded attack by ...  At 03:30 AM on 13 May it was reported that 191 police radio center, Nakhon Si Thammarat. I have been asked for help from the public alley in the village of Fine Lakes Fine Lakes Road development partners across the world 's Gallery Tue. It was the scene of the collapse. The roads in this village, settlement damage. Fear that the house will collapse down the road. After receiving the notification. Staff to the municipal radio interface to the world. Mr. Sujin Borneol vice mayor. With planning and building control officers. Civil Engineer. Municipal boards and officers went to investigate.  Found at the scene. Concrete roads in the village. The road to a width of 8 meters, collapsed and fell down. Than 1 m deep at some point, nearly 2 meters deep slabs of the road collapsed into the ground to collapse. This land is about 100 meters distance to road damage can not use it. Vehicle traffic or drive through the area is not all.

Police officers meet Sri Chum Krkch Col. 3. Mon Brahma world. The house in the village. And street frontage with the collapse. Thus was born the second hit. Hear sounds halt followed by a concrete road. Then the soil and the concrete of the road gradually. Collapse, collapse, and so on. The villagers panicked screams woke neighbors Ohwkehwk. Prepared to deal with the situation. Acknowledges that he and the villagers in a panic. I've never seen an incident like this before. We try to keep space in front of the house. I'm afraid it will break down the soil to collapse. Because the scene of their homes and neighbors. Most commercial buildings. The two-story townhouse. Adjacent to the street scene.  Civil Engineer by the City of York, said the preliminary investigation. Expected to cause the collapse may be caused by the rain comes in contact with two to three days in this period, however, will have to wait for staff to attend to first check, check again.  At the same time such an event. As a result, people living in the village of 40 households have suffered greatly. The water pipes are buried in the ground along the road to collapse. The water used as a main village, each house can not drive out of the house to run errands or do any other things. The road to break out.  She imagined the smooth, 50, a teacher. The house in the village, said the trouble to go to school today for students to camp activities. I was not driving. We have to stop work by default. The order of drinking water in the interim. I can not drive water into the water delivery. Please call the City of York. And intervene in emergency assistance. - Bugaboo.