Section of road in Shanghai's Minhang crumbles, no casualties

A portion of a road in Shanghai's Minhang District crumbled early on Thursday morning.

The collapse occurred around 3am on a west-to-east lane on Shuying Road near Zhongchun Road in the district's Xinzhuang Town, leaving a 1.2-meter-long depression or hole and an affected area of approximately 10 square meters, according to town authorities.

Fortunately, no vehicles or pedestrians were passing by when the incident happened, and no casualties or vehicle damage were reported.

The local government responded quickly, with relevant departments and emergency forces rushing to the site, immediately carrying out on-site safety maintenance and traffic control.

Preliminary investigation showed that the road collapse was caused by the leakage of an underground sewage pipe, which led to the loss of filling material.

The affected road section is a two-way two-lane channel. The public security department has taken emergency measures to close and divert traffic. Currently, one lane of Shuying Road (from Xihuan Road to Dongzha Road) from east to west has been closed, with the remaining lanes allowing traffic to alternate to ensure order.

Zhu Zhoubin, maintenance department manager of Shanghai Jingming Construction Development Co Ltd, said that they plan to start repair work on Friday, with an expected duration of 7 days, aiming to complete all emergency repairs and restore road traffic by January 12.