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 - 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.