Taxi falls into 6m deep sinkhole in Hong Kong

A taxi fell into a sinkhole that was about 6m deep in the early hours of Sep. 29.

The sinkhole was filled with water from a burst pipe, causing the vehicle to become fully submerged.

However, the driver and passenger were able to escape.

Sunk whole

The taxi was making its way along Lai Chi Kok Road in Hong Kong just after midnight on Sunday morning.

According to The Standard, a water pipe had burst under the road.

Brown, muddy water was seen flowing across the entire road.

🇭🇰 | ~00:30am 29-Sep-2024 | Kwai Chung Road east bound @ NCB Innovation Centre, Lai Chi Kok

A taxi driver & passenger escaped after the driver became wedged in a hole caused by a water main burst, which then collapsed.#HKTRAFFIC #IFITSFLOODEDFORGETIT

1/https://t.co/Sw4gtldYWB pic.twitter.com/KUlQBHMwhW

— Brandon (@b3108) September 29, 2024

The driver, surnamed Siu, said he had noticed the flooded road.

He had attempted to change lanes, keeping with the driving advice to not drive through significant amounts of water.

As the National Weather Service in the United States warns, water does not need to be deep to potentially sweep a car away.

But as Siu did so, a bus that was already in that lane was approaching at speed.

Siu decided instead to slow his taxi to a stop in order to allow the bus to pass first.

But then he said he heard "a loud bang", before his vehicle tilted to the left.

Siu then tried to accelerate and drive the car out of the water, but to no avail.

Water then entered the car and reached his ankles.

Siu and his passenger decided to abandon the vehicle.

Two phones

The water pipe that had burst under the road had caused a significant amount of subsidence, washing away a large amount of road material, and the water had become deep enough to envelop the taxi.

The hole it formed would eventually measure 4m by 8m in area, and reach a depth of 5m to 6m.

A video of the incident showed the taxi bobbing about in churning muddy water.

The taxi, which had overturned in the sinkhole, was eventually removed several hours later.

The driver was taken to hospital after complaining of dizziness and weakness in his limbs, but when asked about his safety, simply replied that he was more worried about his handphones that were still in the taxi.

The road was subsequently closed for repairs, but was reopened in the early morning on Sep. 30.

Related stories

Top photos via The Standard & HK01