At least six people have died after bus plunged through a collapsed section of road in north-west China.
Some 1,000 emergency workers were sent to the site of the sinkhole, which opened up as passengers tried to board the vehicle.
Dramatic footage shared on social media showed the bus crashing into the hole as people scrambled for safety.
The collapse Monday left at least 16 people in the hospital, the emergency management bureau in the city of Xining said.
The bureau said the bus had since been raised from the collapsed 80-square metre (860-square foot) section into which it had fallen.
Video posted online showed the bus tipped halfway into the chasm that had opened up at a bus stop just outside a health clinic.
Light and smoke were coming to the surface, possibly as a result of the rupture of gas or electricity lines.
Workers using backhoes, dump trucks and other equipment excavated earth around the collapse.
The hilly city of Xining is the capital of Qinghai province, one of China's poorest regions that lies atop the Tibetan Plateau.
The expedited building of roads, tunnels, bridges and other infrastructure to keep China's economy strong has often led to corner-cutting on safety, causing fatal workplace and industrial accidents.
Mining had also caused instability in the ground in many areas after years of barely restricted mineral extraction.
Agencies contributed to this report
