Thirteen workers were reported missing on Thursday following a sudden ground collapse at a railway construction site in Shenzhen.

Local authorities said the collapse happened at around 11pm Wednesday at a construction site of a section of the Shenzhen-Jiangmen Railway in the city's Bao'an District.

State media reported that an all-out rescue had been launched. Nearby residents have been evacuated from their homes and temporary traffic control was being carried out around the site. An investigation into the accident is underway.