Inquiry ordered after series of sinkholes suddenly open up in Chinese city

A city in northern China has ordered an investigation after a series of roads and pavements partially collapsed in a matter of days, according to media reports.

Six incidents were reported in Lanzhou in Gansu province from Tuesday to Thursday last week, the Lanzhou Evening News reported.

In one incident on Tuesday last week, a sinkhole 10 metres long, five metres wide and two metres deep opened up in a pavement near Zhangye Road in Lanzhou.

Two people were rescued and sent to hospital for treatment, the newspaper said.

Two days later, the back of a bus fell into a hole, parts of which were five meters deep, on a main road.