At least six people were killed and 16 injured when a sinkhole swallowed a bus and several pedestrians on Monday night, BBC reported.
Sky News gave the numbers as nine dead, at least 17 injured, and one missing.
The accident occurred just outside a hospital in Xining, the capital of China's Qinghai province.
Footage from CCTV showed an explosion from within the sinkhole shortly after the bus fell into it.
According to state media, the sinkhole was nearly 32 feet (10 meters) in diameter.
It is not yet clear how many passengers were on the bus when it disappeared.
The cause of the sinkhole is still being investigated, CCTV said.