• 17 January 2011, 11:03

A Chinese family had to leave their home after a giant sinkhole suddenly opened up in their backyard overnight.

The hole is nearly 70ft wide and nobody has so far even been able to measure how deep it is.

Zhang Fengrong, 58, of Leshan, Sichuan province, said he suddenly heard a roaring sound at 2am.

He stepped outside and was amazed to see the giant hole opening up, and getting closer and closer to his house.

At first, it was only 10ft wide, but witjhin 24 hours it had reached it's current size - and the family say they will lose their home if it gets any bigger.

Zhang said he had tried to measure the depth of the pit by letting down first a 130ft rope, then a 200ft rope, but they still hadn't reached the bottom.

"We can hear the sound of water when we stand on the edge of the hole, but when we throw down stones we don't hear them land or splash," he added.

The family are temporarily living in two rooms offered by the village office, and neighbours have helped them move most of their belongings from the house.