Eight people died and three were missing in southern China after a water leak inside a subway station construction site caused a major road to cave in, authorities said Thursday.

The sudden leak flooded the underground site and led to the multi-lane road's collapse in downtown Foshan, Guangdong province, on Wednesday night, the city government said in a statement.

"A total of nine construction workers were rescued, and ... rescue and rehabilitation work is still underway," the statement said.

It was unclear whether the dead and missing were all construction workers.

The collapsed area is as large as two basketball courts with a depth of six to seven metres (20 to 23 feet), the state-run China Daily reported.

Pictures of the scene showed a huge swathe of mud and broken concrete in the middle of the two-way thoroughfare in the city's Changcheng district.

Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced, which has angered citizens.

Official figures show 38,000 people were killed in workplace accidents in 2017.

Last May, 12 workers died following an explosion in a high-speed rail tunnel construction site in the southwest province of Guizhou.

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Taiwan quake highlights hi-tech island's shoddy building past
Taipei (AFP) Feb 7, 2018
Taiwan has built itself a reputation for cutting edge technology, efficient public transport and safe streets. But an earthquake has again highlighted the well-off island's history of shoddy construction and questionable safety standards. It has become a familiar sight. A quake strikes Taiwan, rattling homes and nerves but leaving most of the epicentre intact, except for one or two isolated spots where it strikes with deadly force. Usually the collapsed buildings are old, built before Taiwan bro ... read more