A total of 108 farmers from 27 families have been left homeless since the earth's surface began to sink in the village of Tiekeng, in Guangdong Province's Jiaoling County.

But no deaths or injures have been reported thanks to timely rescue actions.

More than 100 houses have collapsed or been damaged as a result of the subsidence.

A lot of cropland has also sunk, and reservoirs and wells have drained.

The sunken areas of more than 30,000 square meters cover almost the entire village, which is surrounded by mountains on all four sides.

The local county government has offered the victims food and clothing.

And all victims have been temporarily housed in a local gymnasium and theatre in a nearby town.

The provincial government has also sent a work team that include government officials, geologists and doctors to the site to help the rescue work and investigate the cause of the subsidence.

Experts believe the large number of Karst caves under the village and over-pumping of underground water are the main factors leading to the disaster.

The ground surface began to sink at about 2 pm on Sunday and continued until Wednesday.

More than 200 police officers and firefighters rushed to the scene to help move the farmers to safe areas.

Local government will select a new and safe location to rebuild Tiekeng Village in the near future.

All costs for the new village will be covered by the government, according to government sources.

Investigation of the accident is still going on.

Earth subsidence occurs more frequently in recent years in the province.

On August 4, six buildings in a community in the city of Yangchun collapsed when the earth's surface sank.

The accident killed one person and affected 80 families living nearby.

According to China News Service, the cause of the accident was over-pumping of underground water in the region, which led to lowering of underground water levels and the collapse of the underground caves.

(China Daily December 5, 2003)