BEIJING -- A work team has been sent to Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province to guide rescue efforts after a ground collapse at a railway construction site left 13 workers missing, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Thursday.

The accident occurred at around 11 pm Wednesday at a construction site of a section of the Shenzhen-Jiangmen Railway in the city's Bao'an district. As of 10 am Thursday, the workers remained missing, according to the ministry.

Nearby residents have been evacuated and temporary traffic control has been implemented around the site.

Local fire and rescue teams, consisting of 48 vehicles and 198 personnel, are on-site for rescue and emergency response operations, the ministry said.