Rescue mission in Brazil collapse

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Rescue crews in Sao Paulo, Brazil, are searching for several people feared missing after a hole being dug for a subway station collapsed on Friday.

Sniffer dogs are being used to try to track a missing minibus and up to eight possible occupants.

The bus is thought to have fallen into the 30m (100ft) deep crater left by the collapse of the subway works in the city's central district of Pinheiros.

A truck driver is also missing but six other vehicles have been recovered.

The landslide occurred at 1500 local time on Friday. An inquiry has begun.

Conflicting eyewitness reports cite an explosion before the landslide, others say the subway structure simply gave way.

Paulo Roberto dos Santos, vice president of Transcooper, the company that owns the minibus, told local media they were trying to locate the vehicle by satellite, mobile phone and radio.

It is thought that the driver, ticket collector and four to six passengers were on board at the time of the landslide.

Trucks being used on site also fell into the 60-metre (200ft) diameter hole. A 50ft crane that was perched on the edge of the precipice has been stabilised.

At least 79 families living close to the site have been evacuated to hotels, as local water, electricity and phone lines have been cut.

Traffic was diverted from the scene, causing huge traffic jams on one of Sao Paulo's main roads.

Heavy rain is forecast which the authorities fear may further hamper rescue efforts.