Enormous sinkhole swallows bus and passengers in China, killing at least 6 people

[TomSea]

I had heard about this, video of this terrible event is at BNO news at this link, I would have to say the video is graphic but not bloody in that sense, frightening yes:

https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/1216945300948111360

Okay, SCMP.com (South China Morning Post) does have the video posted at youtube, a bit of an abbreviated version.


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https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3045996/six-dead-and-four-missing-after-sinkhole-swallows-bus-western

Enormous sinkhole swallows bus and passengers in China, killing at least 6 people

 (CNN)At least six people have died and 16 others have been injured after a massive sinkhole swallowed up a bus picking up passengers in northwestern China, the latest in a recent string of deadly road collapses in the country.

A public bus had just halted at a stop in the city of Xining, Qinghai province on Monday afternoon when a gaping sinkhole suddenly opened up underneath it, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Dramatic surveillance footage showed passengers boarding the bus when the collapse happened, swallowing the front of the vehicle, a lamppost and people waiting in line, while others at the bus stop fled for their lives.

Read more at: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/14/asia/china-sinkhole-intl-hnk/index.html

So, there's also obviously, fire or maybe better said, some sort of explosion in this whole. See for oneself.

This would be so confusing to happen in real time and to be there. The people look like they stop to check on the man sitting down (by the sign that fell) and yet, the ground opens up again.

The CNN article reads that this is not the first time, the Chinese have had to deal with this problem.

[PeteS in CA]

My daughter attends university in Xining, but is currently here during school break. She stayed the night with a friend, so I just tagged her with the story on FB. I'll keep an eye out for comments from her.

Some background info ... Xining is approximately in the middle of China, a medium-sized city of 2 1/4 million.





Xining is the provincial capital of Qinghai Province, and most of the population of the province is in and around Xining ("X" = sh; "Q" = ch). My daughter told me, seriously I think, that there are more yaks and more sheep in the province than people. The population of Xining is majority Han Chinese, but there are several sizable ethnic minority populations. The altitude of Xining is ~7200 feet.

[skeeter]

Explosions aren't typical in natural sinkholes, I would think. This one is probably sewer related.

[PeteS in CA]

From my daughter:

I heard about that last night from one of my friends... It didn’t happen that far away from where I live

[TomSea]

I have a book printed in 1941, "West China and the Burma Road" by Daniel Friburg, lots of pictures from those bygone days. I think he was a missionary.  He writes a lot about the very rural areas of back then. I will have to look up that area.

[PeteS in CA]

K mentioned that, "The bad thing is that this happened right by one of the largest hospitals in town."

The CNN article mentioned that the fire was probably sparked by an electrical line that was cut when the bus fell (sparks and fuel). And that the cause is under investigation.

Sink holes have several common causes. Acidic rain water eroding limestone is a natural cause. OTOH, sewer or mater main leaks eroding soil is another, and seems a reasonable guess in this case. Below freezing temps are common in Xining this time of year, so that could be a factor in a water main or sewer leak.

[thackney]

Explosions aren't typical in natural sinkholes, I would think. This one is probably sewer related.

In a city I would expect that to be from gas piping.

[Smokin Joe]

In a city I would expect that to be from gas piping.

Me, too. Cut gas and electrical at the same time and you'd get a flash fire, especially if valving in the gas line and breakers shut them off shortly after the accident. Otherwise, there'd be a sustained fire from the gas line.

[TomSea]

So, they may be able to detect weak spots in the road?  The chances of getting stuck in one of these or even dying in one is probably less than the chance of getting hit by lightning but it is happening periodically over there.  They can't rebuild their whole road system.

[thackney]

So, they may be able to detect weak spots in the road?  The chances of getting stuck in one of these or even dying in one is probably less than the chance of getting hit by lightning but it is happening periodically over there.  They can't rebuild their whole road system.

Actually it happens in a lot of places around the world.  Often it is caused by a undetected water leak that slowly erodes the soil under the road.

https://www.clickorlando.com/traffic/2019/12/18/possible-sinkhole-closes-old-canoe-creek-road-in-st-cloud/

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/09/25/sinkhole-manistique-michigan-us-2/2438502001/

https://www.winknews.com/2019/11/12/garbage-truck-falls-in-sinkhole-on-u-s-41/

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2019/10/28/Port-Authority-falls-sinkhole-in-Downtown-Pittsburgh/stories/201910280067

https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/12/11/sinkhole-along-busy-midtown-road-stalls-anchorage-drivers/

[PeteS in CA]

Happens in SF, too (insert Mother Nature flushing toilet jokes here). I think in the Land of LA, too, in areas where water pipes are on the order of a century old.

[sneakypete]

Typical Chinese engineering.

[skeeter]

In a city I would expect that to be from gas piping.

I'm thinking thats sewer gas igniting. A broken gas main would look like a blow torch.

[thackney]

I'm thinking thats sewer gas igniting. A broken gas main would look like a blow torch.

Not a main but low pressure distribution lines.