Local authorities from Shenzhen, Guangdong Province confirmed to the Global Times Tuesday that a land collapse in the city Monday evening had killed five and injured one by Tuesday evening.

The collapse occurred around 9 pm Monday near the gate of Huamao Industrial Park at Henggang in the Longgang district of the city. It formed a sinkhole that is 12 meters long, six meters wide and three or four meters deep, said Li Xianhui, a media officer from the publicity department of Longgang district Party committee.

The area is very busy with pedestrians due to the number of employees who work inside the Industrial Park, reported AFP.

"After an overnight search, we've found five bodies. One person was slightly injured," said Li.

The identities of four of the deceased victims were confirmed by 4 pm Tuesday. Search and rescue work is still continuing in case there may be more victims and to establish the reason for the collapse, according to Li.

"The on-scene investigation shows that the collapse was caused by recent continuous rainfall that caused erosion in sewer networks. As a result, the earth under the road near the park was washed away by rainwater," said a report sent by Li to the Global Times on Tuesday.

"But the concrete reason needs a detailed investigation by a professional organization," the report said.

On Monday, the local meteorological department sent an alert to the city's residents that a strong rainstorm would occur from Monday to Tuesday and to take care when outside, according to the Guangzhou-based Nanfang Daily.

Many Web users said the terrible accident makes them feel unsafe and questioned the quality of the road construction.

"Walking becomes a risky activity," said Sina Weibo user bamboo2011.

Others blamed the rapid development of urban areas for the accident. "Humans are extracting the groundwater with no limits. People like to build skyscrapers in cities," said Sina Weibo Meng'aq. "No wonder such a collapse takes place."

This is the third land collapse in the city this year. On March 26, a five-meter-wide and around 12-meter-deep hole appeared in Futian district, and one security guard was killed after falling in it, the China News Service reported.

Only 20 days later, an eight-meter-deep hole with a diameter of five meters was formed by another subsidence in Nanshan district. No casualties were reported this time. Rescue workers found that broken sewer pipes that were too thin and installed in the 1990s caused the incident, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported.