Lawmaker jailed for sinkhole that destroyed homes

A Chinese lawmaker was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday for digging so extensively under his Beijing home to build a large illegal basement that a giant sinkhole was created that swallowed four neighbors' houses.

Li Baojun and men he hired to expand his courtyard home to five stories underground violated construction regulations, the Beijing Xicheng District People's Court ruled.

In addition to swallowing neighbors houses, the sinkhole caused the collapse of a major thoroughfare in the capital and damage of more than 5 million yuan ($750,000), the court said