A sewage pipeline leak in the early hours of yesterday morning in Beijing caused an eastern section of the city's Third Ring Road to cave in, creating a hole 20 meters long, 10 meters wide and 10 meters deep.

The accident, close to Jingguang Flyover in the busy downtown area of the city, caused a traffic jam, but there were no casualties.

"Filthy water leaked out of the pipe and poured into a section of the subway line that is under construction," Beijing Evening News quoted a witness as saying.

Since no one was working there at the time, there were no casualties.

The accident also created several cracks on the main road.

The area has been cordoned off since the accident, forcing 31 bus lines to change routes. Repair work is still ongoing and is expected to last 3 days.

China Mobile sent group messages to inform its users of the traffic control in the area yesterday morning. Many chose other routes to avoid the heavy traffic.

The city has seen a number of similar accidents. A week ago, a water pipe burst in the southern Xuanwu District, causing part of a road to sink.

(China Daily January 4, 2006)