The incident happened in the city of Harbin

Aug 27, 2015 19:50 GMT  ·  By

CCTV footage shared on Twitter by China Xinhua News shows a giant sinkhole opening up without warning and swallowing five people who were simply waiting for the bus. 

The horrific incident occurred in the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang, China's northernmost province, last Saturday.

The China Xinhua News Twitter post, available below, says the sinkhole swallowed four people. However, at a closer look, it becomes obvious that five people actually fell into it.

Three of them fell straight into the hole the moment it opened up. Another woman is seen clinging from a pipe for a while and then there's another person who, although standing on the edge, also falls in.

According to ABC News, the incident was recorded by security cameras at a nearby noodle shop. Together with the five people, the sinkhole, about 10 feet (3 meters) deep, also swallowed a bus sign.

Authorities blame recent rains in the area

Local authorities in Harbin are now investigation the occurrence. They don't yet know for sure how and why the sinkhole formed, but they suspect that recent rains in the area might be to blame.

Thus, it is possible that water seeping under the bus station eroded the ground, eventually causing it to collapse without warning.

Reports say that, of the people who fell into the sinkhole, four had to be taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated for injuries to their limbs and their shoulders.

Shortly after the incident, the sinkhole was covered. Officials in Harbin promise the problem has been properly dealt with and that the city's residents have nothing to worry about.

A similar episode played out earlier this year in Missouri, US, when a sinkhole said to have measured about 70 feet (21 meters) across and 35 feet (10.5 meters) in depth opened up on a local golf course.

This other time, however, there were no people around, and so nobody was injured.