Dramatic pictures show a massive 100ft-wide sinkhole that opened up after pipes leaked under busy Chinese road

A 6,400-square-foot sinkhole has opened up suddenly on a busy city road in China, and two people remain missing after being dragged into the pit.

Heavy rains on Monday night caused tarmac to collapse into a muddy hole on Zhongyuan Road in the western area of the city of Zhengzhou, Henan province, east China, according to People's Daily Online.

The 16ft-deep hole opened within minutes at 7.30pm on Monday night, causing pedestrians to be dragged into it.

A further two local people were successfully rescued by emergency services later in the evening after they rushed to the scene, as the gaping hole grew to 100ft wide and 65ft long.

Song Qingbin, 36, a teacher at a local school, was walking along with a female colleague when they were pulled into the muddy pit without warning.

Police were able to pull Song out of the hole, alongside 21-year-old Song Yamin, but it caused the road to collapse further and more people fell into it.

'I hadn't had a chance to join the crowd before falling into the sinkhole myself. Thankfully, passersby and the police pulled me out using a rope.' 

Large construction repair vehicles were summoned to the scene around 11pm to begin the gradual road repair process, while a local school was evacuated by police amid fears over broken electricity wires and sewage pipes. 

City officials confirmed a large underground water pipe had burst after being flooded during the heavy rains.

The investigation and repair process is said to have continued throughout Tuesday afternoon.