Huge sinkhole opens at busy Chinese intersection

A vigilant traffic warden is seen cordoning off the area with orange cones just moments before the road collapsed

The moment a huge sinkhole opened in the middle of a busy intersection in China has been captured by surveillance cameras.

Tarmac on the busy road was seen to crack and crumble leaving a two-metre hole in the middle of the road as cars continued to drive along it, in the video uploaded by China’s state broadcasting service CCTV News.

A traffic warden cordons off the area (CCTV/ YouTube)

A vigilant traffic warden is seen cordoning off the area with orange cones just moments before the road collapsed in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province on Thursday, seemingly preventing any tragic incidents.

No one appears to have been injured following the appearance of the sinkhole and an investigation into the collapse is currently underway, CCTV News reports.

China is no stranger to sinkholes. Earlier this month a giant sinkhole appeared in a pond in Guiping, south China swallowing up 25 tonnes of fish and ruining the livelihood of a local farmer.

Water levels were seen to drop at a rapid rate at the farm, until the pond was almost completely drained - revealing the huge hole.

Locals believe the crevice, which is almost five metres wide, may have been caused by quarrying nearby.

China is also home to what is believed to be the biggest sinkhole in the world.

The Xiaozhai tiankeng in China’s Chongqing district is a staggering 662m deep and 626m wide. Tiankeng is the local term for large sinkholes and translates literally as "heavenly pit".