Bus falls into sinkhole on road in China; 6 dead

Beijing, January 14

A bus plunged into a sinkhole on a city street in northwestern China, killing at least six persons and leaving four missing, the authorities said. Some 1,000 emergency workers and 30 vehicles were sent to the site, the emergency management bureau in the city of Xining said. A crane was called in to lift the bus above the sinkhole so rescue workers could look for victims. A video apparently shot by security cameras just after the accident showed the bus gradually settling into the hole while people nearby scrambled for safety. The other video showed the bus tipped more than halfway into the chasm that had opened up at a bus stop just outside a health clinic. Light and smoke were coming to the surface, possibly as a result of the rupture of gas or electricity lines. Workers using backhoes, dump trucks and other equipment excavated earth around the collapse. The collapse on Monday afternoon left 16 persons in the hospital. The emergency management bureau said the bus had been raised from the collapsed 80-square-meter (860-square-foot) section into which it had fallen. AP