NANNING, CHINA — Passengers on a bus in China got a real sinking feeling when a giant hole in the ground almost gobbled them up.

The 10-foot wide, 10-foot deep sinkhole opened up on a bus lane in the southern city of Nanning last Friday, just moments after a bus passed over it.

CCTV footage captured the bumpy ride for the 21 passengers, just moments before the sinkhole appeared. The driver of a second bus following behind then slammed on the brakes to avoid the massive gaping hole in the road.

Footage from aboard the first bus showed just how close its passengers came to being swallowed.

One of the city’s subway lines runs under the road where the sinkhole was found, state newspaper People’s Daily reported, citing police. The bus lane was immediately closed for repairs, and so the authorities could investigate what happened.

China is no stranger to sinkholes. There have been several reports of the the giant craters appearing without warning at various locations around the country in recent years.

Sinkholes commonly occur when rock below the land surface is naturally dissolved by circulating ground water, causing the land surface to collapse suddenly.