Massive Sinkhole Opens at Shanghai Metro Worksite, Prompting Evacuations

Overview

• Footage verified by Reuters and consistent with satellite imagery shows pavement and temporary structures collapsing at the Qixin Road construction site in Minhang.
• Shanghai Shentong Metro Group activated its emergency plan and said there were no casualties after the incident at the Jiamin Line project.
• Local officials closed sections of Qixin and Li'an streets and cleared nearby offices, residences, and a dental clinic as water surged from ruptured underground pipes.
• Shanghai Shentie Investment Co. had reported a water leak at the site a day earlier, and a tunnel engineering expert said a pipeline failure likely triggered internal soil erosion known as piping.
• The affected section lies between Qixin Road and Xinjian Road, built by China Railway Tunnel Group, with reports estimating the crater reached roughly 10 to 20 meters in width.