Video: Massive sinkhole swallows Shanghai road in seconds
What's the story
A massive sinkhole opened up in Shanghai's Minhang District on Wednesday, swallowing a large section of road and causing damage to nearby structures. The incident occurred on February 11, just a day after workers discovered a water leak during excavation for the Jiamin Metro Line. Security footage shows cracks racing across the tarmac before the ground suddenly gave way. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Sinkhole science
What causes sinkholes in Shanghai?
A sinkhole is a depression that forms when the surface collapses into an underground void. In Shanghai, built on soft, water-saturated alluvial soils from the Yangtze delta, erosion occurs through suffosion. This process washes away fine particles like sand and silt, creating voids under the surface. A sudden rush of water can trigger these collapses by flushing out supporting material.
Twitter Post
Watch the video here
🚨 Security footage from #Shanghai shows a busy stretch of road suddenly collapsing, creating a huge sinkhole and swallowing parts of nearby structures within seconds
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) February 12, 2026
The city is prone to subsidence due to soft soil, groundwater extraction and intense construction. Data from… pic.twitter.com/zNnhHtpL1N
Urban impact
Human activity linked to most of China's sinkholes
Shanghai's susceptibility to sinkholes is partly due to human activity. Over-pumping groundwater and intense construction have worsened subsidence for decades. Official data shows that 72% of sinkholes in China between 2017 and 2023 are linked to human causes like faulty pipes and rapid building. Only two years ago, in January 2024, a sewage pipe blowout in the same Minhang neighborhood sunk another road nearly 10 meters deep. No injuries were reported there either.