Air-raid shelter may be cause of road sinking in Guangxi  

广西柳州一路面发生塌陷 疑为地下防空洞所致

A subsidence occurred in an alley near Sanzhong Road in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Monday afternoon. (Photo source: chinanews.com)

Liuzhou (ECNS) -- Part of a road in downtown Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, sank on Monday, according to the city's fire department.

The subsidence occurred in an alley near Sanzhong Road on Monday afternoon.

"I heard a loud noise at 2 in the afternoon, but didn't know what happened," said a local resident surnamed Li.

Local residents didn't call the police until they noticed the ground within the pit kept sinking after the incident.

Twelve fire crew members were sent to the spot. Hundreds of people living in four buildings near the pit were evacuated, as the subsidence also caused cracks on nearby structures.

"There is an air-raid shelter under the road, and persistent rain may have contributed to the subsidence," said Xie Yingqiang, director of the provincial geological environment monitoring station in Guangxi.

An investigation into the cause of the sinking is ongoing.