(CNN) At least six people have died and 16 others have been injured after a massive sinkhole swallowed up a bus picking up passengers in northwestern China, the latest in a recent string of deadly road collapses in the country.

A public bus had just halted at a stop in the city of Xining, Qinghai province on Monday afternoon when a gaping sinkhole suddenly opened up underneath it, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Dramatic surveillance footage showed passengers boarding the bus when the collapse happened, swallowing the front of the vehicle, a lamppost and people waiting in line, while others at the bus stop fled for their lives.

A young man who barely escaped was seen picking up a baby from the edge of the sinkhole and bringing it to safety. He then returned with several others to help a woman left hanging on the edge. As they tried to pull her up, however, the road collapsed a second time beneath their feet, plunging everyone into the pit.

Seconds later, an explosion could be seen inside the sinkhole, sending a ball of fire above ground, followed by a thick plume of smoke and a few smaller explosions.

Read More