A 21-year-old woman from  Hunan province is still missing after she fell into an uncovered manhole during heavy rain on Friday night, People's Daily reported on Monday.

The search for Yang Lijun in the Tianxin district of Changcha, the provincial capital, was called off on Sunday night and rescuers have left the scene, the report said.

The report said rescuers had intended to enter the sewer into which Yang fell as she was going home with a friend, but found this was too dangerous.

The incident has become a hot topic on the micro-blog Sina Weibo.

Some Chinese media also published commentary asking why manhole covers pose a safety risk, and calling on residents to take pictures if they find any examples.

People's Daily said on its micro blog it is the duty of the government to protect public security and the administrations in charge of a city's pipelines or road maintenance are at fault if they neglect such problems.

Yang, a university student in Beijing majoring in jewelry design, had returned home for talks with her parents about whether to take a job in Changsha or become a civil servant in Hainan province.