A 40-meter-deep hole swallowed a two-story building on Friday in Hunan province.

The hole destroyed the building owned by villager Zhou Xuewen, as well as more than 20 trees and parts of a vegetable field, the Xiaoxiang Morning Post reported.

As of 11am on Saturday, the area affected by the cave-in had reached 333 square meters in Quanhong village in the Yuelu district of Changsha, capital of Hunan province, the report said.

Operations at the Jincheng Mineral Co, about 100 meters away, were suspended after the accident.

Villager Tang Zhiwen said nine homes near the mining company had cracks of different sizes.

Villagers living near the accident scene were evacuated by the local government. Village head Li Zhongguo said further investigation was needed to find the cause of the accident.