November 15, 2008 Subway tunnel collapses in eastern China

BEIJING (AP) - A subway tunnel under construction in eastern China collapsed Saturday, trapping workers and creating a huge crater into which more than 10 vehicles plunged, a local official said. At least one person died and 16 were missing, state media reported.

A 65-foot (20-meter) -wide section of road over the construction site collapsed in the eastern city of Hangzhou, said a city official who gave only his surname, Zheng, as is customary. He said at least 10 vehicles had fallen into the crater.

The official Xinhua News Agency said about 2,000 rescuers were struggling to pump water out of the tunnel and search for the trapped people, who were believed to be mostly construction workers. Rescuers said one person was killed, 19 were hospitalized and 16 were still missing, Xinhua said.

It said the exact number of people trapped underground was still not known.

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