Chinese girl falls into sinkhole A Chinese teenager has had a lucky escape after falling through a pavement into a six metre deep sinkhole beneath. CCTV caught the girl chatting on her phone as she walked through Xi'an, northern China. Without warning, one of the paving slabs gives way and she vanishes into the ground. A passing taxi immediately stopped and driver Wang Wei jumped down the hole to rescue the unconscious girl. Firefighters quickly arrived and helped her to safety. The girl suffered only minor injuries. The hole was formed by water erosion under the pavement. Sinkholes are common where waterlogged ground has been built over. Water eventually wears away the ground underneath the surface, causing large holes to appear.