900 evacuated after land subsidence in S China

NANNING - Nearly 900 people in four villages in Nanning, capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, were evacuated after a land subsidence occurred, local authorities said Saturday.

A fissure 1.5 meters deep and 2.5 meters wide opened up Friday evening on the road outside the gate of the Tanluo Second Primary Middle School in the city's Xixiangtang district, an official with the district government said.

The subsidence affected four villages in the vicinity, with 844 locals evacuated thus far. The local government had provided food and other relief to the evacuated people Saturday morning.

The subsidence caused one building collapsed and six other buildings tilted. Another building was cracked by the fissure.

Prior to the incident, the school had hired workers to drill a well at the school for drinking water because of a water shortage, the official said.

No casualties have been reported. Experts are analyzing the fissure and investigating its cause.