A land cave-in prompted the evacuation of more than 450 villagers Friday night in east China's Jiangxi Province, said local authorities.

Excessive salt mining caused the land to sink, according to an initial investigation.

With a diameter of 50 meters and a maximum depth of 5 meters, the cave-in occurred 8:40 p.m. Thursday in Zhoutian Township, Huichang County in Jiangxi, said a local government spokesman.

Villagers said they had seen water sprouting out of the ground, with jets reaching up to 2 meters high, and 500-meter-long cracks in the ground since Thursday.

A total of 457 villagers of 84 households had been evacuated by 2 a.m. Saturday, with no casualties reported.