Three missing in Chinese sinkhole

TIANHE, GUANGZHOU, CHINA — Three people have been missing since Sunday morning after falling into a massive sinkhole in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

The road in the city's Tianhe district suddenly caved in around 9:30 a.m local time, just as a street-cleaning vehicle and a scooter were driving over it.

Chinese outlet, The National Business Daily report that the area below the road was, in fact, a subway line that was undergoing construction; the estimated depth of the collapse is thought to be around 38 meters.

In an effort to find the missing three people, more than 1,100 rescue workers, and 192 rescue vehicles have taken to the hazardous area, however, search and rescue efforts have been delayed as the collapse continues to expand outwards.

Workers tried to fill the expanding hole to reinforce its slopes to avoid further collapses.

The individuals of the street cleaning vehicle were identified as a 51-year father and his 26-year-old son. The rider of the scooter has yet to be identified.

Construction workers in the metro tunnel below were evacuated. The cause of the incident, however, is still under investigation.