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Subway tunnel collapse leaves one dead, 16 missing

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-11-15 20:00

HANGZHOU  -- At least one person is dead and 16 are missing after a road caved in on a subway tunnel under construction in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Saturday, rescuers said.

The scene of the subway tunnel collapse. At least one person is dead and 16 are missing after a road caved in on a subway tunnel under construction in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Saturday, rescuers said. [cnsphoto]

Nineteen people were taken to hospital, said a spokesman with the rescue headquarters.

Witnesses and rescuers earlier said at least 50 people were trapped underground, but the exact number is still unknown. They are believed to be mostly construction workers.

Thirteen vehicles were also trapped in a 75-meter-long, 50-meter-wide and 15-meter-deep crater after a section of road collapsed into the tunnel in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, at about 3:15 p.m..

About 2,000 rescuers are struggling to pump water out of the tunnel.