"天坑"频现引起关注

Dozens of sinkholes have emerged across China in recent weeks, triggering fears of earthquakes.

近几周，中国多地陷坑频现，引发了人们对地震将至的担忧。

Craters of different sizes have been seen in a vast area of land stretching across eastern and southern China's Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangsu and Guangxi province, state media reported.

据中国官方媒体报道，中国的东部和南部大面积地区（包括江西，浙江，四川，江苏以及广西等省）惊现大小不一的陷坑。

In Ningxiang county in Hunan Province, the toilet of a farmer's home collapsed, but nobody was injured, official Xinhua news agency reported.

据新华社报道，在湖南省的宁乡县，一家农户的厕所（由于地陷）坍塌，但所幸无人员伤亡。

Days earlier, a giant sinkhole swallowed up the entire playground of a primary school in the county.

几天前，一个大陷坑吞噬了该县一个小学的整个操场。

Another hole with an 80m diameter opened up in the same county recently and families living nearby were soon evacuated from the dangerous areas.

近来，该县有出现了一个直径达80米的“天坑”，附近居民被迅速撤离该危险地区。

Cheng Jie, a geological expert from the China University of Geoscience, said: "I think it is very unlikely that the sinkholes were caused by human activities. It is mainly a result of natural causes, like the sharp weather changes from extreme droughts to heavy rainstorms."

中国地质大学的地质学专家程杰说：“我认为这些陷坑不像是由人类活动所致。主要是由自然因素造成的，比如剧烈的气候变化，从大旱到强烈暴风雨频繁。”